Application (done)
Regents (done)
Summer Vacation (still pending)
College Applications must feel pretty puny after the stack of paper I filled out. So the application wasn't actually due till October but I got a call from one of the AFS people and she indirectly was like "five people have already turned in their application for Japan and you really need to hop on that train". At first I just thought, "Oh no biggie i'll just put my signature down a couple of times and send it in". BOY was I wrong. That monster was thick. They wanted doctor's notes, recommendations, academic records, photos blah blah ect. It's over know and I don't really want to reminisce. Besides, I don't have any extra time in my life to even ponder failure.
I really hope that I am not placed somewhere that's not crazy busy like tokyo or where the radiation is towards the north east Daiichi area. I'd like to go somewhere that's kind of like the Brooklyn equivalent in Japan like Osaka, Hiroshima, or Yokohama. Nevertheless, it's Japan so it will be an incredible experience in any prefecture. It will take a lot more than a couple gene mutations here in there to stop me.
Besides my application there has been another thing that has forced me to stop blogging, Regents.
Regents are tests that you have to take if you live in NY after you have taken a class. It is sort of similar to a final but the grade goes on your transcript and it is sort of separate from your class grade. You are supposed to honestly write your life on your blog so I will share with you guys that I haven't learned diddly squat in Geometry for the past five months... But, after meeting with my tutor for two hours every single day the week before the test a pulled out a 92! I know it is not something to be proud of but I am like the king of cramming last second and pulling out the win.
Shout out to my math tutor: You are a saint Nakita, I will definitely see you for Trig next year! (The name looks Japanese but it's actually because I just have no clue how to spell it).
Anyway, Zack is back to hopefully put an un-pause to this plateau of no new donations.
Sorry I haven't been lately but I promise to keep you all posted from now on!
--The Japanese Hakujin, Zachary Shimmel
Ohayō gozaimasu, Zack,
ReplyDeleteYou don't know me. I was on the Oceanside HS Speech Team with your mother a lifetime ago. When she told me about you and your plans for Japan, I was intrigued. I never made it there, but a similar love for the language and the culture did take me as far as Hawai‘i, where I still live. I was a bad language student, but as a writer I learned a lot from Japanese literature (even in translation).
A former student of mine who lives in DC but frequently visits NYC just returned from Japan, where her mother is from. She had an even more glorious time than ever before. Wherever you end up, it'll probably be one of the best years of your life. (Plus, all the girls will definitely go crazy for a Japanese-speaking hakujin from NYC.)
Japan has had a terrible year, and it has handled its suffering with grace, resilience, and determination. Shigataganai. In addition to enjoying yourself immensely, you will probably learn a lot.
Anyway, I've contributed a little something. I don't know if it will help. I hope it does. Best wishes for a terrific year.
Aloha,
Bill Teter