During my summer vacation, I studied abroad in the U.S. for about one month. It was my first time staying abroad long time so it was a wonderful memory for me. I stayed in the state of California which is located on the west coast and it takes 9 hours by air from Japan to California. I did a homestay while going to a local university. I had class from Monday to Friday and I learned about American culture and language such as grammar and vocabulary. The university is so spacious that it includes a gym, lake, pool, bowling, and so on. My host family was very kind and bustling. On holiday, I tripped in some places with my friends.

First week San Francisco

It took 2 hours by bus from my house to San Francisco. It was very cold though that was summer. The city is not big and I could move by bus around there. There are beautiful sea, a shopping center, and a famous bridge called the Golden Gate Bridge. I ate delicious cream chowder because it is famous for seafood. People in San Francisco were kind and cheerful.

 

Second week Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is World Heritage Cite and a huge national park in the state of California. I stayed 2 days there and I felt wonderful nature that I’ve never had. The air was so clear and there were wild animals and big trees. I saw waterfalls and a dynamic tree. Second day, I climbed the mountain for 6 hours. It was so hard experience for me but I could climb the top of the mountain with my friends. On the way to climb the mountain, I was getting worth. Thanks to helping me by my friends and guides, I could achieve until the end. I realized that greatness helps each other.

 

Third week LA

I went to LA in the third week. It was a three-day trip and it took 8 hours by bus. LA trip was so hard for me but it was the most satisfying memory during my stay in the U.S. First day, I went to Hollywood and Beverly Hills. In Hollywood, I walked on the street and drew handprints of Hollywood actors. In addition, I saw the Hollywood sign and Chinese theatre. The second day, I went to Disneyland in California. It was first created in the world and similar to Disneyland in Japan. I rode a lot of attractions and enjoyed the parade. At night, fireworks were launched with music and it was so amazing.

by Midori

 

I went cycling with my friend for three days for the first time and we chose the course around Tokyo Bay for beginners.

 

On the first day, at the beginning, we rented bikes in Akihabara and started cycling from there to Kisarazu in Chiba, where we would stay at night.  Google Maps said it would take 5 hours to get there, but things did not go as we planned at all because of uphill, downhill, and headwinds.  On the way we wanted to give up but, we managed to reach the hotel, taking breaks every 30 minutes.   It was the longest day I have ever felt.

On the second day, our muscle pain was so bad.  We had plans to take the ferry, so we proceeded while keeping an eye on the time, but the headwind was so strong that it was hard to go forward.  Finally, we got on the ferry but we ended up sleeping even though we were looking forward to it the most.  We got off the ferry and headed to Yokohama, where we would stay at the hotel for the night, but unlike the first day, the wind and road were calm and we had fun.

On the last day, we went to Yokohama Chinatown for a while at first.  The road back to Akihabara was downhill with a tailwind.  The scenery was very nice and we even stopped by Tokyo Tower.  On the way, we went the long way around as if we were made fun of by Google Maps, but we noticed that and fixed that.  It was so much fun that we were sad to return the bikes at the end.

It was an experience I could only have had at such a young age.  The last big adventure of my teenage years.  I will never want to go cycling again, but it was a memory I will never forget.

by Yuka