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Again, I applied for the award.  I was concerned that my declination a year earlier would hurt my chances.  This time, however, after my proposal had been selected, I was able to confirm my acceptance of the award.  I downloaded the FMF Basics Handbook from the website, read about current Japanese issues and relevant customs, and waited eagerly for every FMF mailing.  That Spring and Summer, I dedicated many hours to learning as much Japanese as I could, and I pestered my wife into holding mock Japanese conversations.

The final mailing stood out from all the others.  It contained our FMF name tag, travel tags, other information, and most significantly, a page describing the members of my host family.  I read this sheet over numerous times, memorizing the names and ages of the family members.  At this moment, it was real.  I was anxious to leave on the journey, but still, much pre-trip preparation had to take place. [TOP]

I dutifully prepared a photo album in both English and Japanese for my host family, with the phonetically spelled Japanese words so that I could explain if necessary.  Several small gifts were purchased, and I worried about how they would be perceived.  What does one give to a 12-year old Japanese child when no information about gender was included with the mailing?  Business cards with my name and school were created with a Japanese side and an English side, and I learned the proper way of presenting and receiving meishi in Japan.  At school, I prepared three weeks worth of lesson plans and sent letters home to the parents explaining the purpose of the trip and what would happen during my absence.  To each letter home, I stapled the business card that I had made.

As the weeks wore one, the anticipation increased.  I signed up for a day trip to Kyoto that would later be cancelled due to extremely inclement weather.  On a listserve set up by FMF, October participants exchanged ideas about what to do, and I read each one with interest.  I would think about going to a baseball game, but I was definitely passing on dressing up as a geisha girl!  My brother had put me in touch with a colleague of his who had spent time teaching in Japan, and through our e-mail exchanges, he was able to answer many of my questions and alleviate some of my concerns.

On the Saturday night before departure, figuring that sleep would be hard to come by and I was getting up early the next morning anyway, I packed my suitcase with my clothes and gifts and made sure that it did not exceed the weight limit.  [TOP]

Post-Trip
During the day on Saturday, I was surprisingly not particularly tired, but I certainly slept heavily that night.  Although I had never gone hungry while in Japan, I had lost at least twelve pounds or so when I weighed myself at home; this was mostly because of the rice and fish that was consumed at nearly every meal.  A spare room in our house became the base for souvenirs, papers, and other miscellaneous items I had collected in Japan.  The first day back to school was interesting to say the least.  I quickly prepared some photos to show my students, and spent the day telling them stories of my trip and answering their questions.  They were very interested, and I looked forward to explaining more about my adventure.  I could not help but notice, however, that I often dipped my head slightly when I walked by somebody or when my students entered or exited my room.  While in Japan, I had become so used to this cultural nuance that I got into the habit of doing it as well.

I spent many hours preparing a movie of the trip using the DV footage that I had collected.  The editing process was long, and I was able to cut the footage down to about three hours or so on two DVDs.  I added Japanese music to parts of the film that lacked dialogue, and I believe the finished product is a solid reflection of the experience that our group had while in Japan.  Although it took much longer than I expected to complete the film and make twenty copies, I finally mailed out a DVD set to each of the Kimitsu group members, and I hope they enjoy it.

Occasionally, I try to eat Japanese food when I can, especially miso soup, tempura, and sashimi.  One night in January, I met up with two of the guys that I often hung out with while in Tokyo.  We arranged to meet at a Japanese restaurant in Worcester, MA.  It was the first time that I was able to talk about the experience with people who could easily relate. [TOP]

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