Packing

We depart in less than four days... which is extremely exciting and just a bit scary at the same time! Needless to say, Steph and I have been packing like crazy, and making sure we've got everything that we need for the trip. Among some of the things we're bringing are -

- our Ciroflex twin-lens reflex cameras
- vitamins!
- thin towels (as we've learned that most laundry is air-dried)
- gifts for our host families (yummy things made in Michigan)
- definitely not our kitties Catkin and Hazelnut, though they look very interested:


Until we do leave, Steph and I will be doing some intense studying of Japanese. At this point, I've learned most of the katakana characters, but I'm still very much learning hiragana. Also important is to memorize certain key phrases! The 13-hour flight will also be useful for learning some last-minute Japanese...