Greetings from Tokyo!

Hello dear friends and family!

I have been in Japan now for about a week. I'm sorry I haven't updated yet! The first three to four days were spent training, and then we moved into our houses in Tokyo.

So far there are six people here on my team (not including the staff).

They are (with their age and Myers-Briggs personality types):

David (24, ESFP)
Susan (22, INFP)
Aiko (21 INFJ)
Ashley (Me...20, ENFP)
Kevin (20, INTJ)
Ross (20, ISTJ)

We are still missing three of the SIJ short-term staff. I can't wait until they are all here. :)

They are:

Ken Chi (our SIJ US-based team leader...he will be here for 6 weeks)
Liz Rutter (ISTJ)
Walter Chu (ENFP)

I already met them at orientation in March, and I can't wait to see them in Japan!

Our apartment is great and we sleep on futons (they are different from American futons...they are never a couch.). I have tried many new foods and have learned that I like a lot of them...I am ashamed to say this because I have lived so long in the dark...but I like onions and tomatoes. I have not yet tried sushi, but I have eaten squid, various unidentified seafoods, seaweed, mochi (very good rice-based cake covering mildly sweet red bean curd), soba (buckwheat noodles in soy sauce with a variety of toppings), tempura (soooo good), Katsu (fried pork...usually served with rice), and we had spaghetti for breakfast at the Olympic center's cafeteria during orientation.

There is so much to share! I love it here...we went shopping yesterday, too...at the 100 yen store (100 yen = about a dollar). It's been raining a lot, but I love it. Aiko hates it. I loooooove Japan.

We have spent a little time with students already--at the welcome party and English lunch table. English lunch table is when we go to Chuo University here in Tokyo and have lunch with the students in Best club. It is a great time to build friendships and practice Japanese while they practice English. :)

Aaaaaand....Pictures!

Tama Center! Lots of shopping and a Starbucks

Tama Center Station (we come here to go to nearby Chuo University)

Kevin, Ross, and David: The manly men on our team


The girls: Aiko, Susan, and I!

This is a train. :) They are not as crowded as they are in those Youtube videos of the rush hour trains...where people get stuffed in...haha. This picture is what it usually looks like.

Beautiful, wonderful Aiko :)

Flowers and a tall building at Tama Center

We live in Hello Kitty's town! Aren't these Japanese girls so cute??? :)

Aiko likes taking pictures of only half faces :)

Aiko and I! :)

I will post more later! Jaane!