Study abroad in Japan

My name is Devyn Christoffer and I'm currently studying abroad in Kofu, Yamanashi, Japan for ten months! It's always been a dream of mine to study abroad in Japan. In December my Japanese teacher, Robert Steed, from Hawkeye Community College, told me about a study abroad scholarship from Iowa Sister States.This scholarship allows the recipient the chance to study abroad in Japan for ten months while attending classes while writing a research paper. I decided to apply for the scholarship sort of last minute, since we had found out about it a week before the deadline. I was so nervous, even though I had nothing to lose if I didn't get it but everything to gain if I did. A few weeks passed by and I received an email inviting me in for an interview. I couldn't believe it, I was so happy! I had my interview on a Friday and that Tuesday I received an email stating that I had been chosen for the Scholarship. It seemed like it happened so fast, one minute I was just randomly checking my email and the next I knew I was going to be in Japan in a matter of months!
The next few months flew by, trying to get everything ready for my trip, passport, applications, packing, trying to figure out what to take, what I don't need, making sure I had a place for all my things when I was gone. The months passed by like weeks and then the time had arrived. I left the day after the fourth of July, which was perfect. I got to spend the fourth watching fireworks and spending time with my family before I left the country. My flight in total was about 13 hours, thankfully the international flight had a personal TV in the headrest with many movies and TV shows to choose from, it also had a map that showed where we were and how far we had to go. I watched a few movies and a couple episodes of some of the shows so it went by pretty fast. When we arrived at Narita airport in Tokyo, I still couldn't believe that I was actually in Japan. I stepped off the plane, I had finally achieved one of my life's dreams, I was in Japan!!

One of the movies I watched during the flight

The map that showed where we were