The kindness of the people of the island was truly reassuring (when we were conducting interviews). The ocean was beautiful, but it was disappointing to see all the trash on the beach. After we finished the project, I felt wholeheartedly that none of this would have been possible had it not been for the cooperation of the people of Izena island.

It was the first time a foreigner came to stay at our house, and for the week prior to our guest's arrival the household was in a commotion. In the end we were out most of the time, but I was glad that my family and Bai Yun got along well. I guess with Bai Yun, there really wasn't anything to worry about in the first place.

Attending school for only two days seemed a bit too short to me. There was little time to get used to the school, so I think it was difficult for Bai Yun to get to know the students at all. But with regards to the physical rigors of the visit, it might have been just right. Bai Yun seemed really tired after the day at school.

I realized that kids of the same generation are the same anywhere you go. I think at our age, our main interests are music and such. And when someone's humming a song and another person recognizes it ("Hey, I know that song!"), that leads to further conversation. As we talked about lots of things like fashion and boyfriends, I saw that we're all thinking about the same things. The actual content of our conversations are things that would embarrass people if I told anyone... so I'll refrain from writing any of it. Hmm. Talking late into the night has become a wonderful memory.

It was difficult to delegate tasks to everyone equally. When a foreign student worked on the computer, we made sure to have a Japanese student assist him or her. I felt that if the foreign students had been instructed first in computer use, things would have gone more smoothly.

I felt a sense of satisfaction as a group leader when each of our members completed their task, especially with the presentation. Giving a presentation by oneself is a difficult task in itself, so leading an entire group was nerve-wracking. Things would have spun out of control if Bai Yun stumbled on a word, so I made sure to place myself where I could keep track of the speed at which we spoke. I also thought about such things as whether placing Abby next to Misa would be a good idea. These are things that I mulled over in helping the presentation go smoothly... thought I wasn't very confident whether it would work out. That's why I tried to create a sense of calm and satisfaction within myself.
      The barbecue on the beach in Izena was the most fun.

I want to visit more countries now. Also, I read a lot of essays by students from different countries in the screening process, so I'm now interested in their countries as well.

I think I'm no longer apprehensive about foreigners. Until I participated in this program, I had few opportunities to interact with foreigners my own age, though I'd interacted with older people from other countries. So I'd been a bit scared of people from other countries my own age. After all, hey, I'd never spoken to my peers from other countries so they were as much a mystery to me as non-earthlings... But having met everyone on this program and realizing that we're all the same teenagers, I think that I'll be able to approach any foreign exchange students who may come to our school in the future.
      Also, I'm not sure how I'll make use of this, but I think I've grown as a human being. I think the growth I've experienced has been an accumulation of the seemingly small increments of growth and sense of fulfillment that I gained throughout the program. Also, in the past, when I had trouble communicating as a result of language barriers, I simply gave up since the foreign people I was interacting with were people I met only in passing. But in this program, we couldn't make progress unless we were able to understand each other, so I naturally felt the desire—at times excessive—to communicate, with a dictionary in one hand. Malee even called my dictionary was my little friend! (laughing)
      My vision for the future is clearer now because of this program. This is because I was able to learn that interaction with people from various countries is enjoyable. In the future, I want to become a sophisticated globetrotter.

The thirteen people I met on this program are great. If I ever experience a setback in the future, remembering that I have friends somewhere on this planet, doing their best, will surely help me regain the courage to keep going. A big thank you to everyone who had a hand in making such a great opportunity possible.