"Bon shuru. Watashi wa Na-to-ri san. Fu-ran-su kara kimashita."

Being the ONLY exchange student has been challenging plenty of times, but it could have been a lot harder in my 3 hour long language classes if it hadn't been for the student volunteers (their free time, in my class!) who pretended to be from France, China, Australia, etc. "learning Japanese" alongside stuttering-Mo. It was pretty cute to hear them create “international personalities” and pretend to not understand their native language, I must admit.

Some girls were regulars, others only came once of twice. Over the course of the semester I probably had thirty or so girls drop in at least once. Many of them are going to college to become Japanese language teachers, but others were just genuinely interested in assisting a foreign exchange student, or practicing English.

All in all, a completely unexpected, and sincerely appreciated saving grace of my trip.