Journey to Japan-Sept.14 to 16, 2012

September 14th, 2012, my Journey to Japan starts.

1.  - First: Regan National Airport at arount 7:00am
1. Had a security scare... i thought i lost my cell phone and i began to almost cry (it was my only way of contact... ).. but praise the LORD... it was just overlooked in my bag. Almost lost my boarding pass too. But there was a kind man? that was telling me that i dropped it and others told me as well. Ops!

        ---Plane leaves at 9:10am

Byebye :'( DC

           -Meet a sweet lady named Wendy :). Our row of 3 seats was only filled by the two of us. (soo nice to have a middle space to more around sometimes !!! :) We talked. But :( I did not have courage at the time or know how to share the hope of life that Jesus gives us. :(. It is funny because she is a lobbyer for a non-profit organization that helps ensure medical and basic youth needs. (ages 0-26?)[it changed because of the new federal policy to allow adults up until 26 to remain on thier parent's health care plan]
              > I got to sleep alot :)
We arrive in Los Angeles California at about 11:48 their time.. which is 3 hours different = about a 5 hour plane flight.

     2. - I have to figure out what to do!! :O. The flight attendents usually instruct passengers when leaving, but these didn't. So I have to find out how to get to my next flight. Mrs.Wendy helps me :), and so does a airport worker, 2 kind security officers and a transportation director (he directed the people what shuttle to take, what to tell the driver, and what to do.

The shuttle bus to American Airlines

          -- After arriving at the next terminal, now.. what to do.. I had a long layover since my plane was not expected to leave until 6:10pm. .. about 5 hours of waiting.
       -ate a salad at burgerking
       -wifi was being difficult :(
       - talked to a Chinese man (about my age but older), he came to the US 5 years ago, and was studying at a University in California. We talked about several things. I felt like a broken record. I was tierd yet and did not know what to say.. but i don't know why I kept talking. I was also reading Girls Gone Wise.
      - the subject came up about history, I brought up the Bible and he knew what it was, but i dont think he understood why i said it was the best history book. :\. still not bold enough. I feel so sheepish :(. but i know God can use my failure to speak in his own way (by no means does that mean that i think it is ok not to say anything... the Bible calls us to be prepared to tell give an answer for our faith in Christ Jesus. He left later to his plane to Chicago. I quickly grabed a fish sandwich before getting on the plane.
 
    3. Board plane late at around 7:00pm instead of 6:00pm

     --- this time.. i had the WHOLE  row to myself... until a lady asked if she could sit with me ( again we had one seat free inbetween, SOO NICEE :) ) Her name is Sunny.
             --It is soo cool :) She is in the airforce and also used to live in Japan, we talked a lot!
                She also was very kind to me :) , she shared her pretzles!!, I slept alot again.. while she read, i did not share with Sunny. I was in ALOT of pain :(
    4. We arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii around 10:00pm.. instead of 8:45 on September 14th.
        My next flight would be on September 15th 2012 at 1:50 pm. I had to go get my luggage... (they told me prior that i wouldnt need to .. but i went just incase.. ) By the baggage claim area i felt so lonley, people were greeted by family, friends, spouses, hotel people and I stood alone. But I needed to distract myself, i was asked if i wanted to take a the buss to a hotel, but i declined (tooo much money!!! ).. besides.. i didnt think it would be that long... :P. I asked the desk man for information on how to get my next boarding pass to Hawaii, and he told me at Hawaiian Airlines and that I would have to go outside and down the sidewalk. ALso that they would be closed until 4:00am the next morning! :OOO . OK.. so i was like.. 4:00am isnt that bad... ok .

         I have never been in an airport that long!! it was beautiful, but I was a little scared to fall asleep... actually ... more like uncomfortable about falling asleep when I had my luggage with me . I got small naps on and off. .. people were sleeping around me too :) .. it made me feel alot better, it wasnt so bad.. and... it was my 1st time sleeping in an airport... PLUSS!! guess what!? .. Praise the LORD, my back was not hurtinggggg!!!!! So amazing, because my back hurt in the plane, but by the grace of God it was not hurting when i was sleeping while sitting in a chair!!

     5. I woke up around 3, i kept checking my time to make sure i could go ASAP. But after around 4, I had to ask a airport employee how to get to Hawaiian Airlines. It was fairly easy :) He was very helpful! . On the way i found a cool stop.... (i wanted to eat my sandwich that i had bought the night before.. i am soo thankful I hadn't eaten it on the plane... (i was about to .. but Sunny offered me pretzels, and I didnt feel comfortable to eat my outside food infront of her.. )
Once I get to the Airport, i am informed that I can not sign in because it is too early, I have to wait until 11:00am at the earliest.....

So cool, I got to see the man direct the plane!

Mahalo, Goodbye Honolulu

      6. I sign in at 11:00 pm. There are soo many people, especially Japanese, Korean, and Military. I grab Lunch. (Burgerking ... again!! .. except Crispy Chicken sandwich... the lady at the register was SUPER nice!! :) we talked a little... but quickly of coarse... ) I got to charge my phone and laptop (finally). I also got to talk to SANAZ :)))))) . My gate was gate 20. I got called up to have my passport checked and Visa, but when the lady handed me back my passport... she accidentally kept it and tried to hand me her walkitalki... it made us both laugh! we joked about it.. The pilot of our plane also came up to her when we were talking, and he wanted to leave ASAP because a typhoon was comming. .. So we borded immediatly. It was a really nice plane :)


    7. We boarded before 1:50. And left promptly. The service was excelent on Hawaiian Airlines!! ... Like noo Joke!!!! ... THey had pillows, blankes, headphones, a hot towel that the flight attendents offered us. They gaves us lots of drinks, snacks, and served us delicious food (i shouldnt have even need to eat before!! ).
In my row there were two seats, and one of them was a Japanese guy (about my age too) named Rui. We talked a lot durring the flight and we were helping eachother with both languages :) . THey showed 2 Japanese movies/programs.
Once we landed.. at around 5:30pm(it was september 16th 2012 in Japan), I asked Rui if he could help me get out of the airport. He did. It was very nice of him!!!!!

New friends from Napal :)

    8.Soon, I saw a lady with an APU sign :). I said goodbye to RUi. And we went to get our bus tickets to get to APU. It was raining hard outside.. on and off.. because of the typhoon. I met other students too! Kai was the first (he is Hawaiian, 20 and a freshman starting at APU), I met many others too. WIth us, the bus was nearly full (all but 1 seat, which was filled later.. ) I kept almost falling asleep and falling out of my seat :( the ride was over 2 hours ... we had to go the long way due to the weather conditions) We stopped at a Beppu station, and were greated by other APU Resident Assistants. We conversed a bit then rushed to the van that would take us to APU.
    9.We arrived at APU!! We get our info packets and keys and things, and are taken up to our rooms. We meet our RA's. My RA shows me around. I got a single... (i dont know why, but i appreciate the space i think, maybe.. it would have been nice to have someone too, but I know this is for a reason? )

What the final product looks like?

   10.The luggage comes later, but we i could not get it till around 11pm. Afterwards, I unpack and set up my room. I attempted to connect the internet .. but :( alas, i could not. I take a shower, and go to bed around 2:00 am? I need to be up before 10, so that I can go with Aya and her boyfriend shopping :))!!! The bed was hard to make.. (i am soo not used to it... the room requires a key too!! ... waaaa?? .. well a key to turn on the light... and a to use the airconditoning. the toilet flushes upwards, and has a waterfountain above where the top is, where, when it is flushed, water comes out. :P. The bed is hard, but i think i like it :).  

Steps I took... (They were wrong :P)

 

TADAA!!! :) Thank  you for reading my blog :) It makes it easier to share my life here in Japan and over this next year. It does take a lot of time and work. This blog has taken me 2 hours plus to make!! :P So I will try my best to keep updating .. it might just be pictures some days, or even brief ideas, discriptions.  Also...it helps to look back and see what is happening and how God uses the small things for even bigger better things. So... for my self and for my brothers and sister is Christ, where ever we are lets remind each other and encourage each other to: "Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children  and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." --Ephesians Chapter 5 Verses 1-2.
<3 Gambarimashoukane (lets work hard [to remember] ok ?)

~*~Raquelita~*~