My Impressions of America
Erina Masaki
I was really surprised about a lot of things in Columbia, Missouri. When we got to Stephens College, I couldn’t believe that an American college could be so big. I knew it would be bigger than what we have in Japan but it was more than I expected. There were lots of trees and grass and it was full of nature. We even saw squirrels on campus.
The days in Stephens College were very interesting and fun. We got to experience a lot of things too. We had a pool party but the weather was a little bit cold to go in so we only had a barbeque, which was great fun. We got to eat hamburgers and a lot of desserts. The day when we went to Jefferson City, we learned a lot about how the capitol was made. The inside of the capitol was very pretty.
We got to do a lot of shopping too. We often went to the Columbia Mall or Target or Walmart. Target and Walmart was a very fun place. They were groceries, electronics, clothes and more. A lot of things were really cheap. The Columbia Mall was very fun too. There were lots of shops.
The American sisters took us to a lot of places. We went bowling, ate cold stone ice cream. Bowling was very fun with music so we danced too. The cold stone ice cream was cheaper than in Japan. On Tuesday’s it was Buy one Get one FREE! My American sister took me to the movies and to Bonker’s which was like Chucky Cheese. The movie we watched at the theater was Ponyo. I didn’t see it in Japan so I didn’t know if it was fun, but it was and there were scenes when my friend Chinami and I laughed a lot. The day we went to Bonker’s was very fun. It was as if we went back to when we were small kids and had tons of fun. We played at the arcades too and got tickets. After that we went to an ice cream store which was very delicious. It’s called Andy’s and the ice cream was custard ice cream. It was the best ice cream I ever had.
The home stay was great too. Kana and I went to Zack and Emily’s home and they welcomed us. They were really nice and took us shopping too. Their pet was an iguana and she was big. We got to eat at a steak house and it was really big. After that we got to carve pumpkins. It was a little hard but interesting making the faces. I think we were lucky to have such an experience.
From our stay in Missouri we got to learn so many things. We did so many fun things that I couldn’t write all of them down. I am so glad that I got to join this trip to Stephens College. America was very big to me but it was a great place too. I thought that it wasn’t as crowded as Tokyo and that you don’t have to get stressed out by the trains and people.
Lastly, it was great that all 11 of us from St. Margaret’s went together. We got to know each other a lot and became close. Our trip to Missouri also allowed us meet new people and make new friends. The one month we spent there will be a great memory for me forever.
