ONTO OKINAWA

DEAR 201,
HERE I AM IN ANOTHER PART OF JAPAN!!! I AM IN OKINAWA, A 3 HOUR AIRPLANE RIDE FROM TOKYO. DID YOU FIND IT ON THE MAP? WHEN WE GOT TO THE AIRPORT THERE WERE MANY JAPANESE STUDENTS GOING TO OKINAWA FOR A TRIP. CAN YOU IMAGINE FLYING TO ANOTHER CITY FOR A FIELD TRIP? THEY WERE SO CUTE AND HAPPY TO SEE US. WE WERE TAKING PICTURES OF THEM AND THEY LOVED POSING FOR THE CAMERA. THEY ALL WERE IN UNIFORMS, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS SUNDAY. THEY WERE ALL RESPECTFUL AND WELL BEHAVED IN THE AIRPORT AND ON THE AIRPLANE. WE HAD FUN TRYING TO TALK TO THEM.

WE GOT TO OKINAWA AND AS SOON AS WE GOT OFF THE PLANE WE SAW BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS IN THE AIRPORT. OKINAWA IS SOUTH OF TOKYO AND IS VERY HOT. THE HEAT HIT US AS SOON AS WE STEPPED OUTSIDE. TODAY WAS A DAY OFF FOR US AND WE CHECKED INTO THE HOTEL AND WENT RIGHT TO THE BEACH. I WAS THE FIRST ONE ON THE BEACH AND THE FIRST ONE IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN. IT WAS WARM, BEAUTIFUL AND SMOOTH AS CAN BE. I WAS IN HEAVEN!! MR. WILLNER SAID IT WAS CHILLY IN PHILLY YESTERDAY, BUT NOT WHERE I AM!! AFTER THE BEACH I WENT OUT TO DINNER AND EXPLORED AROUND THE CITY. LOOK AT THE NEW PHOTOS AND YOU WILL SEE EVERYTHING THAT I SAW.

TODAY WAS A WORK DAY FOR US. FIRST WE WENT TO A COLLEGE AND MET WITH THE DEAN OF THE UNIVERSITY, COLLEGE PROFESSORS AND STUDENTS. WE ASKED THEM QUESTIONS ABOUT COLLEGE LIFE IN JAPAN AND THEY ASKED US QUESTIONS ABOUT SCHOOL IN AMERICA. THEN WE WENT TO A VERY FANCY RESTAURANT. CHECK OUT THE FOOD THAT THEY SERVED US. I DID NOT EAT A LOT OF IT, CAN YOU GUESS WHY?

AFTER LUNCH WE WENT TO THE CITY HALL OF A TOWN CALLED TOMIGUSUKU, WHERE I WILL BE STAYING FOR THE NEXT FIVE DAYS. WE MET WITH THE MAYOR, IMAGINE THAT!! I SHOOK HANDS WITH A MAYOR OF OKINAWA. HOW COOL IS THAT!! HE SPOKE TO US IN JAPANESE. HOW DO YOU THINK WE UNDERSTOOD HIM IF WE DON'T SPEAK JAPANESE? WELL, ON THIS PART OF THE TRIP IS A TRANSLATOR. WHAT DO YOU THINK HER JOB IS? YUP, SHE TRANSLATES EVERYTHING THAT PEOPLE SAY TO US IN JAPANESE INTO ENGLISH. THANK GOODNESS SHE IS WITH US!! THE MAYOR WELCOMED US TO HIS CITY AND THANKED US FOR COMING. I FELT VERY IMPORTANT!

NEXT IT WAS ONTO ANOTHER HOTEL, NOT ON THE BEACH LIKE LAST NIGHT, BUT NEAR THE BEACH. MY FRIENDS AND I WALKED AND WALKED AND WALKED FOR 3 WHOLE HOURS. WE WANTED TO SEE WHAT IT WAS LIKE IN THIS PART OF THE ISLAND. IT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE HOME, LOTS OF STORES, OFFICE BUILDINGS AND SHOPPING. IT WAS A NICE NIGHT, BUT NOW I MUST GO TO BED. TOMORROW IS A VERY BIG DAY. WE ARE SPENDING A WHOLE DAY AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR. I HOPE TO GIVE YOUR LETTERS TO A SECOND GRADE. ALSO, I AM GOING TO BE MAKING A SPEECH IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE SCHOOL. OH MY GOODNESS, I AM SO NERVOUS!! I WILL SPEAK IN ENGLISH, AND OUR TRANSLATOR WILL TRANSLATE WHAT I SAY INTO JAPANESE. WISH ME LUCK!!! HAVE A GOOD DAY IN SCHOOL.
LOVE,
MRS. WILLNER