The Journey of a Lifetime

It has been a little more than a week since I've returned from Japan via AFS program. It was really a journey of a life time - the places we went, the people we met, it was truly hard to believe that I was able to participate. Oh and by the way Merry belated Christmas everyone. Via AFS I had experienced many of my "first time" there. And there the saying 'Expect the Unexpected' comes true. Things that you think will only happen in comics and movies will happen to you. I had my fair share of "accidents" and lets say that its really eye opening.

In Japan you cannot believe how much I miss the sun and Malaysian food. Really home is where the heart is - I actually felt really proud being a Malaysian there. As we see many things, we learn to not compare or judge. There is no right or wrong, we're just different lah~ There is so much misconception we have about Japanese people that its really surprising. But there is one thing that's really awesome in Japan... their toilets.
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I'm serious. Their toilets are really top class. They come with bum washers ^^ and remote control. There see. The controls for the toilet. XD


Most memorable is my host family. They are really really kind people, hosting us, caring for us and making sure of our well being. Even when we each did not speak the language of the other, they tried hard to communicate with us and learn about us through various means. My stay with them is truely the best in the world. I will not forget you.

These are a few photographs that I find most memorable and of course those depicting my host families is omitted as per AFS rules to protect my host families privacy. The photographs are in no particular order.

The Shizuoka Chapter on our last day in our hosts school. Gawd Shizuoka is damn windy. Who said anything about Shizuoka being warm.


The first time we took the bullet train or as we call it the Shinkansen. During the duration of our trip we all took the Shinkansen several times but did you know that the price of the tickets are equivalent of a plane ticket? And did you know that some Japanese have not rode it before because its insanely expensive?


This is the Kinkaku-ji or Golden Pavilion in Kyoto during one of our study tours. Its some sort of temple and when we went there is was raining!!


Ze Chen and I, on a ferry to Miyajima, Hiroshima. I still owe you your photographs.

My group CM 14 taking a group photo in front of the famous O-torii gate in Miyajima

Me in front of the O-torii gate.

Mae-chan and I eating Okonomiyaki is Hiroshima


There is so many more places that we went but I bore you to death with my endless chatter and photographs. As our chaperon says "All AFS-ers have the gift of the gap". Now I would like say a big Thank You to the Japanese Government, AFS Japan, AFS Malaysia, our beloved volunteers and kind host families and friends for making Jenesys '09 possible.