Wow! It's hard to imagine that this whole trip was just a mere thought at the end of November 2007! I can't believe it's finally here. Last night was very long. I was still packing and getting everything in order for the trip. I left bright and early this morning to fly to Denver, Colorado where I then had to run to catch the next plane to San Francisco, California. On the last plane, I met several other people who were a part of the same group as I was! After landing in San Francisco, we took a bus to the hotel we are staying at tonight. There were a lot of lines to get our information and rooms, and LUNCH! I was starving! I got to eat lunch with a man who was one of the first people selected to go on this same trip the first year they did held it 12 years ago. We also had meetings to tell us what to expect on the trip. Several people spoke, and we got to meet the people we'd be traveling to the smaller cities with. Tonight was amazing! We were invited to the home of the Consulate General from Japan! He lives in a beautiful house with a view of both the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz! To get there, we had to travel through what most people think of when they think of San Francisco - Victorian houses very close together, cable cars and VERY steep hills! (Once, it looked like the bus was going to drive into a wall! It was actually quite scary at times!) Once we were at the Consulate General's home, we had the chance to meet him and his wife before eating traditional Japanese food, including the best sushi I have ever had. Tomorrow will be a very long day. We leave tomorrow morning at 8:30 for the airport where I will be on a 9 hour flight to Narita Airport in Japan! Remember talking about the time zones in Geography this year? I actually get to experience the time changes. I'm leaving on Monday morning, June 9th and arriving in Japan on TUESDAY afternoon on June 10th! However, it's only a 9 hour flight. :) I'm so excited about everything that we're going to get to see and do! I hope that I'll be able to post and share while I'm in Japan, but I still don't know if I'll have the internet. Be watching for updates!