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Rachel sent this email around 24 February

Hey guys :D
 
well where do i start Japan is great!!!! i'm loving every minute being here!!
 
My first host family - Mr Ohtani, Mrs Ohtani, shinji their 7 year old son and churki their 21 year old daughter - are all very nice! I am loving living with them and are always being spoilt :D In march they are taking me on a holiday to a place up the top of japan which i cant remember the name but sounds great :D
 
The food is FANTASTIC!!! i love it and look forward to every meal that is put on the table :D
 
I have been going to Fukuoka High School for nearly two weeks now and i am really enjoying it! Apart from the fact that i have to get up at 6 in the morning :( but i'm getting used to it now: D I also have to catch the train to school which is really different form home but i think its great :D All during the first week i was treated like a celebrity :D EVERYONE is sooo nice and helpful and they all still get excited when they see me :D and they are all helping me with my Japanese which is great i'm starting to get the basics now :D they also have heaps of interesting clubs they attend after school which i think is great! some of the clubs i have attended so far are the tea ceremony club, flower arranging club, broadcasting club and the English club :D they also have a band with nearly every instrument possible and heaps of sporting clubs which i will also try to join :D
So far my favourite subjects are World History i love it mainly because its in english but also because where doing world war 2 and i think its sooo interesting :D I'm also enjoying english because i'm actually good at it over here :D ha-ha Plus my other subjects are Japanese history, Art, Calligraphy which is like painting the Japanese symbols :D also P.E and then i have my Japanese tutoring which is great :D 
 
I recently got back from my first snow trip which was organized by my rotary and was absolutely AWESOME & FUN AS!! one of the other exchange students from Australia also went and we spend two days skiing (well attempting to) with people in my rotary. Plus we build our first snowman and made our first snow angels :D it was great!!
 
Takaoka Rotary are GREAT there are aprox 70 members so just a bit larger than little Cobden. Unlike Rebecca's Rotary in Brazil everyone are so welcoming and nice towards me and all want to have allot to do with me which i love:D they are planning a mountain climb somewhere :D their going to take me to a horse farm :D plus they have given me free tickets for Saturday to go see a massive temple that lights up at night which i cant wait for :D I consider myself very spoilt within the club :D They are constantly planning trips and things for me to do :D
 
And that's me so far :D i hope your all well and everything back in Cobden is all good :D ill try to keep you posted about what I’m up to and everything i do in the future :D
Take care!!  <3 Rachael
 

This is a link to Rachel's Host Club - Rotary Club of Takaoka - in District 2610.   Click to find out more...

Some early pictures from Japan show how Rachel is being quickly confronted with the Japanese way of life!

                     Rotary Meeting                                            Typical Japanese Food

School and Uniform

Rachel left for Japan from Tullamarine in January.  Here she is looking every bit the Cobden Rotary Ambassador to Japan!   

Rachel attended our Club meeting on 12 November 2009 and had this picture taken with members present.  

Pictured are:   (Standing) President Mark Towner, Ronnie Reissenweber, Jeff Maynard, Neil Podger, Rachel Steel, Paul Wagner, Frank Martin, Kevin Johnston, Garry Ross, John van Leerdam, Bruce McGauchie, Don Rawlings, David Steel, Michael Merrett, Ian Errey   (Kneeling) Lin-Rose Reissenweber, Raelene Munro, Glenice Coad.

The final briefing for Outgoing exchange students was held at Torquay in November 2009.   Rachel received her blazer