rediscovering eden
Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the bright and morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart
Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are
I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours
Who Am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
and watch me rise again
Who Am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me
whom shall i fear
whom shall i fear
i am yours
dailies
Thursday, August 24, 2006
-10:11:00 p.m.
Eden Chan
University of Alberta
The first thing that came to my mind when I arrived back in Edmonton from the Japan trip was that I wanted to go back right then. I was in Japan for the biannual Hokkaido Summer Session for a month and I missed it the moment I stepped onto the plane back. The Hokkaido Summer Session was by far, one of the happiest times I’ve had in my life and I can hardly do it justice just by describing it with words. Having known about it since I entered university, I have been looking forward to the day when I could immerse myself totally into Japanese culture and study there, even if it was only for a short period of time. And so, you can imagine my joy when I found out that I was one of the privileged ten to go to Hokkaido for the trip!
Even though I was a little skeptical of living with a host family and was apprehensive of whether they would like me at first, all my worries proved to be unnecessary when I met them. I can safely say that my host family is the very reason why I came to love Japan as much as I do now. They are the warmest people I’ve ever met and they loved me as their own daughter, being concerned with my well-being and often going out of their way to make my stay as enjoyable as possible. My daily after-dinner conversations with them were always refreshing and really helped me improve with my Japanese skills. My host mother was able to speak English and she would always try to explain things to me whenever I did not understand them, especially since my host father could only speak Japanese. However, we all communicated really well and I learnt the most interesting things about their lifestyle. On top of that, I felt like I’ve made two of the most wonderful friends in the world with whom I can talk with about almost anything. My host family also brought me around to famous places outside of Sapporo every weekend such as the 旭川, 美瑛, 小樽 and キロロ, just to name a few, and even specially arranged a private tea ceremony session for me just to experience this traditional Japanese culture. On the contrary, I did not spend that much time exploring Sapporo myself as I usually try to be home for dinner but I’m so glad I did that. The time I spent with my host family was no doubt the most enjoyable time I’ve had in Japan and I really thank God for pairing me up with such an awesome family!
Besides having a great family to live with, I also had a lot of fun participating in the various program activities and making new friends. One thing I really like about the Japanese is how friendly they all are. No matter where you went in Sapporo, be it restaurants, malls or convenient stores, everybody would treat you so nicely! Needless to say, I met some really sweet Japanese friends during the interchanges that we had and got to practice my Japanese trying to communicate with them. The program coordinator, 岩佐先生, had also planned a number of cultural activities for us including the 華道 (flower arrangement), 水墨画 (ink painting) and 盆踊り (Bon Festival Dance) which all proved to be very fascinating. There was even the 花火大会 during two of the weeks when we were there to which we could choose either to go with the school, friends or family. The fireworks were absolutely stunning and the atmosphere of just ooo-ing and ahh-ing with the rest of the Sapporo population dressed up in yukatas is indescribable. It was really one of those moments when you really felt like you were part of the culture and forget that you were not Japanese.
This trip to Japan had really opened up my eyes to seeing their different lifestyles and cultures there. Before I came to Japan, studying Japanese was merely out of pure interest for me and I really wasn’t planning on doing much with it. Even though it was a requirement for my BCom degree of East Asian Studies, I just wanted to study something that I liked in university and then go out and find a job in any field. However after this trip, I realized that I really do want to do all I can to become fluent in this language and this became a direction towards where my life is now heading. I truly hope that someday I will be able to carry out a conversation with お父さん and お母さん where I can express myself effortlessly.
Looking back at my pictures just brings back so many memories and there are still times when I can hardly believe that I’m back from the trip already. I don’t think I can ever fully express how much this trip has impacted my life but I’m really thankful to God for giving me this opportunity to experience this awesome exchange.
今年の北海道大学のサマーセッションプログラムは、私の人生の中で最も良い経験でした。私はたくさん日本の文化について学んだし、そしていっぱい美しい思い出と親しい友人が出来ました。私は私のホストフャミリーが大好きです!由香理先生や岩佐先生やみなさん、ありがとう!私はこの時間を絶対忘れません!
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and so that's the essay i wrote for the Hokkaido Summer Session booklet 2006...it's still pretty unpolished i know, but it's really hard trying to convey your feelings and being formal at the same time! *haha* i don't think it's ever possible for me to fully express how i felt about this trip...just coz...when things happen that are beyond what words can describe, you'll know what i mean :)
it's been more than a month since i left sapporo...sometimes it's hard to believe that i was ever there in the first place. it was too good of a dream to wake up from, i led a completely different life from the one i have now, i was somebody else for that 1 month. but now that i'm back here, i find that so many things happened while i was gone, and i'm just taking my own sweet time putting the little bits and pieces of my life back together. things i have to handle, errands i have to run, finding out what i shld do with my life...
no doubt about it, i'm gonna be real busy when school starts again! if all goes well, it'll be mondays, wednesdays and fridays off from school and i'll be working :) i'll need the money if i wanna see お父さん and お母さん either this winter break or the coming summer! だから、私、頑張ります!
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on a totally different note, it's incredibly cute seeing effie and brian together ^^ let's go for more double dates next time NE!!!!!!!! :D HAPPY 1 MONTH GRANDPA AND GRANNY!!!!
and lastly, m&m forever :D
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