We Ate McDonald’s for, like, the Entire Week by Kaylee Crawford

I tried real Japanese sushi, but I didn't like it!
I'm eating Edamame instead -- Japanese soybeans.

My biggest dream was fulfilled this summer -- visiting Japan. Japan is the country I have loved since I was a small child, and now that my sister lives there (she teaches English to middle school students), we took the chance to turn my dream into a reality. My mother and I flew across the world to visit her.

            The plane ride, close to 12 hours, was quite miserable. Mom and I both have problems sitting still for long periods of time, and the food we were saved made everything even worse. Luckily, it was worth it. Upon first setting eyes on the bright city lights of Tokyo, a sense of accomplishment filled my heart.

We found a really cool waterfall
in one of the parks!
It was a great place to take
a lot of pretty pictures.

            For the first few days of our week-long stay, us girls all stayed in Tokyo, visiting different districts each day. I have too hard of a time choosing a favorite district; I love them all so much! The Akihabara district held “Electric Town”, home to all things anime and cosplay. The Shinjuku district held lots of shops, like the one where I bought a replica of the ring from my favorite anime. The Harajuku district was also a favorite. Since that’s the fashion district, I bought dresses of my favorite Japanese street style -- Lolita!

In the city, wearing my new brand-name
Lolita dress and carrying around my alpaca.

For the rest of the week, we stayed in my sister’s apartment with her boyfriend. Since she lived in a much less busy part of the country, we got to look at lots of temples and parks. However, I’m more of an urban person, so I was happier when we visited a nearby city. We went to lots of places there: a few shops, a restaurant, a museum, and a couple of arcades as well. We played the famous U.F.O. Catchers, which are similar to American claw machines. We won my favorite “Arpakasso” plushies! Arpakasso is Japanese for alpaca, and those stuffed animals are so cute!  In total, we won seven of them. People stopped to watch and cheer us on, and while it was really silly, it was really fun as well. I was also wearing one of my new Lolita dresses, and lots of people were calling me “Kawaii,” which means cute. It made me want to live there even more.

This was one of the silly purikura pictures
I took with my sister. I
t's so silly and cute!

            Another thing I loved doing was taking Purikura -- Japanese photo booths. They blow up your eyes really big, like how they would look in an anime. I took so many because I loved taking them so much.

            When it was time to come back to America, I was a bit sad, but I believe I’ll get to visit Japan again. It’s my plan to live there after college, after all. This trip was just like a little taste of everything I’ll get to experience.

AP Language Arts Trip 2012 by Kelsey Devasure

A lovely view of London. Photo by Kelsey Devasure.

      Many people would like to travel the world, everyone has that one foreign place that they have always wanted to go to. For me that place was England. Last year Mrs. Anthony and Mrs. Hays announced that they would be sponsoring an A.P. English trip and go all the way to England. Everyone was invited that met the criteria, of course I signed up.

     What was perhaps the most surprising thing was how different the two countries really are. When I first though of going to England I thought gloom, British accents, and royalty. While you do encounter many British accents, they all sound a little different depending on the region. And gloom is definitely present in England, though it is accompanied by freezing temperatures and relentless pop up downpours.

Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.
Photo by Kelsey Devasure.

    Royalty is another story, they are very much a monarchy, even if the Queen no longer rules. “Queen Elizabeth II's Regime” is displayed in all important places. But, while we were there, they held a parade in which the whole royal family was carried down the streets in horse drawn carriages. Of course we have nothing like that, or the crown jewels in America.

     Now, if you were the average American who eats many fried and preserved foods it is likely that you either die of starvation or your body would go into some sort of shock. The food there is either very light, sandwiches, tea, etc. or very, very dense; haggis, lamb, some sort of beef looking thing. In addition to having different foods than America, you had probably better not hope to wash down their interesting food choices with a tall ice cold glass of soda. The old countries do not use ice in their drinks, and the cups are the size of Dixie cups used here to brush your teeth. (okay, maybe a bit bigger) And I certainly hope you don't need a refill because it will be another five pounds.

"Can you say, Olympics?" Photo by Kelsey Devasure

    Bringing up the next point, British money is worth much more thank American money. While I was there I withdrew 50 pounds from my bank account and it ending up converting to cost me $86 dollars. You felt like you were getting a deal when you paid a pound for a candy bar, but really you just paid about $1.75. I wish I had been a British person coming to America, I would have felt rich.

     “Across the pond” there is a whole different world, these are just a few differences. Experiencing a new culture can be enriching if not shocking too, you may be surprised by how the country you dream of visiting does things differently.