7/23/19
Hello, again! The last time I did a blog was the first day of the South Trip. Wow, how six weeks have flown by. The days seemed long, the weeks seemed short, and looking back at six weeks, it happened so quick.
Being our last day in Japan, it was a free morning for everyone with StreetKart in the evening for those who got their International Drivers Permit. I took complete advantage of the free morning and slept in super late (it was a long night at the arcade the day before). I spent the early afternoon with Stewart and Kris getting our favorite vegan lunch and going the fanciest cat café I’ve ever seen.
Then it was time for StreetKart. Because there was 18 of us participating, we had to break into two groups and go to two different shops. This would make it easier for us to drive through Tokyo traffic! If you’ve been following the blog since the South Trip you’ll know that we took the a couple students to do this activity in Osaka. For those who haven’t, StreetKart is a company that allows you to dress up in a onesie and drive around the city streets in a go kart! The course we did in Tokyo went over Rainbow Bridge – a suspension bridge in the Tokyo Bay area – which was exhilarating! We also went to downtown Tokyo, through Shibuya crossing, and past the Tokyo Tower! All of the students really enjoyed their time go karting and agreed it was a good last night activity.
When I returned back to the hotel one of the students, Evie, said that they had a gift for me. When they came to my room, they had got me the cutest Thanos character. They said that they felt bad because the night before I had spent a little too much money at the arcade trying to win a Thanos character from a claw machine. They had watched me fail and fail again, so they wanted to bring me some joy! I love it, Evie! Thank you so much! Along with the gift came many encouraging words that meant more than I can express and is what any TA would love to hear. Thank you, Evie, for being a wonderful student on this trip and for being the best roommate a person can have!
I also want to give a shout out to Fam Bam. That would be the group of 9 students that were apart of my mentor group (7 on both trips, 1 on the North, and 1 on the South). I couldn’t have ask for a better combination of students to build the wonderful dynamic we had. Thank you for allowing me to be your mentor and for taking what I said to you to heart. You all would do what I asked and never gave me any issues. You really made my job as a TA very manageable. Continue to work on your plus version and I’m so proud of the progress you all have made so far! We will keep in touch!
The past six weeks has been an amazing experience for me. I can’t thank Kris and Stewart enough for allowing me to be their TA on this trip. When they asked me to be their TA a year ago, they saw potential in me that I didn’t yet see. The encouragement and guidance they gave me throughout the school year gave me the confidence to go into this study abroad strong. Being their TA also allowed me to solidify my plan of continuing my education with a Masters Degree in Higher Education & Student Affairs – and it gave me incredible experience for this field! Kris and Stewart, thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you have done for me! Choosing me for a study abroad almost three years ago will be a decision I will always be grateful for.
And lastly, thank you to all the parents, grandparents, and other family members who supported these wonderful students as they went on this adventure with us. And thank you to all of you have kept up with our blog!
Sayonara!
Katy Guzek
Human Services Major
Global Liberal Arts Studies minor
Japan Lived Experience 2019 