An Eye Opening Experience!

I received the Okinawa Peace Scholarship from Youth for Understanding. I thought of declining the scholarship because I was too nervous to spend the summer without my family, but I'm so glad I went. We had an orientation at UC Berkeley, which gave us all an opportunity to meet each other, learn basic Japanese (or advanced depending on your language level) and Japanese culture. Once arriving in Japan I had the opportunity to explore Tokyo and go to the US Embassy before flying to Okinawa. YFU Japan brought us to shrines and the Imperial Palace, but also gave us free time to explore around the city. My host family spoke little English, but we instantly clicked. They couldn't have been more kind and generous. I had 2 grandparents, 2 parents, 2 sisters, 2 brothers, an uncle, a dog and a cat! I spent about 4.5 weeks in school. I thought that school would be boring given my lack of Japanese knowledge, but I couldn't have been more wrong. I was a celebrity at school, and the students loved practicing their (limited) English skills with me. Many of whom had never been close to a not ethnically-Japanese person as the American children on the military bases go to school on base. In school I took calligraphy class, cooking class, taught English and tried out all of the majors offered at my agricultural school. If you are going to a Japanese high school please bring as many photos as you can of your school, friends, life and home. I had no idea that they would be so interested in what my friends and I wore to school everyday(Japanese schools have a strict dress code/uniform) and what my school cafeteria looked like(they eat in their classroom).
Without sounding over dramatic, leaving my host family was one of the hardest things I have had to do. No one in my family has a passport, so I know they can't visit me. I would like to visit again in a few years and maintain contact with my host sister.
YFU allowed me to gain self reliance and confidence in myself. YFU pushed me out of my comfort zone while always making sure I was safe. It was an experience of a lifetime.