Wednesday, January 13, 2009 - ? [Gone for a little while]-

With winter break behind me, you might think my fun is done with for the month, but in fact I have yet another adventure ahead for this coming weekend. With dear family friend and past Japanese economics professor, Bruce Dalgaard, coming to Japan for Fulbright business, I have been invited to spend Friday the 15th-Tuesday the 19th with him in Tokyo. We'll stay at Waseda University, go sightseeing, experience the city that Bruce loves so dearly, meet new people and old colleagues, and even connect with our mutual friend Kathy Tegtmeyer Pak who also happens to be a St. Olaf prof in the capital city of Japan.

The following day, the 20th, is my moving day! That's right, after nearly five whole months at the Sato's house I am soon moving in with my next host family, the Kobayashi's. It ought to be an extremely different type of household to live in, so I'm excited to experience a different type of Japanese lifestyle. As tomorrow night is the Rotary Shinnenkai, or New Year's Party, I will not be able to post then either. That means that from tonight on I won't be writing for a while.

Although I have written nearly everyday up until now, I don't know that this style of blogging is the best option for total immersion like Rotary Youth Exchange Program aims for. I have sincerely treasured the opportunity to share my experiences so closely with each and every one of you, yet in my new house hold I hope to become busier during the evenings. This may mean that the free time I have hereto filled with blogging will hopefully be consumed with games, food, TV, conversation, and plain old family life. So if all goes according to plan I hope to adapt a somewhat less frequent style of blogging, aiming at perhaps twice a week. Still, once I first move to the Kobayashi's I am thinking that it would be best for me not to blog for a couple days. It's not exactly a great first impression to have your guest waste nights away on the computer, you know? So this isn't signing off, but this is signing down. I hope you all understand. Thanks for all the comments and encouragement this far. In many ways this blog and knowing that I have a crowd of supporters out there has gotten me through the Fall in more ways than I have let you know. I am truly optimistic about the future of my exchange. And what an opportunity it is! Thanks again and again, I can't wait to share these stories with many of you in person upon my return - Sam