Features: A Message from Claes Nobel Meet your new Student Council Partner News College-Bound Advice Q & A on the SAT from the College Board Choosing a College Spotlight on Service Fulfilling F.U.N. at Day Camp for the Disabled Visiting the Philippines: A Life-changing Experience Non-Sibi: "Not for Oneself": Tsunami Relief Truths about Tutoring A Super Summer: Controlled Chaos at the Library Summer Experiences Summer Alternatives: Building the Mind AND the Body Summer Dreams: Friends and Fun at the World's Fair in Japan My Summer in Medical Research ICE in Summer: Georgia Tech Institute for Computer Education Learning about Leadership: National Student Leadership Conference Summertime... and the Living is Busy: from Houston, to Harvard, to Oxford Summer Dreams: Friends and Fun at the World's Fair in Japan Jessica Miles DuPont Manual High School, Class of 2007 Louisville, Kentucky Jessica in Japan Like many students, I started this summer vacation with ambitious goals in mind: I wanted to see beautiful and exotic places, meet life long-friends, and learn something new along the way. Unlike many other students, I got my wish. This summer, I participated in the Toyota Youth Program (TYPE) at Expo 2005. I spent a week touring a foreign country, living with 25 other students, and experiencing different cultures. Toyota and the International Institute of Education selected students from the United States and Canada to go the 2005 World Exposition, formerly called the World's Fair, in Aichi, Japan. All of the participants were chosen from science competitions. We submitted essays, presented our scientific research, and went through an in-depth interview session for the contest. Difficult as the selection process was, everything we went through was well worth it. During our first few days in Japan, we stayed in a ryokan, or traditional Japanese inn, which was a cultural experience in itself. The inn featured a most unusual dining experience. We sat on the floor for all of our meals and ate almost every seafood delicacy imaginable! We also had many adventures with the restrooms as we experienced Japanese cultural norms. These included toilet slippers--special shoes one must wear into the bathroom--and communal bathing. Before this year, I had never traveled out of the United States. Visiting the Expo was the best introduction to international travel anyone could ever receive. The fair featured hundreds of pavilions from countries across six continents. Visitors learned about the cultures of these places through intricate videos, creative displays, and native foods. The displays accented the theme of the Expo, "Nature's Wisdom." Furthermore, the Expo highlighted technology from across the globe. Most of these technologies were displayed in corporate pavilions featuring robots, 360-degree video screens, and many displays of environmentally sustainable materials. In addition to attending the World's Fair, our group toured the picturesque, historical shrines and temples of Kyoto; spent a day at a high school meeting and talking to students; rode the bullet train; and attended a special science assembly with Japanese students, where we explained our science research to one another. Summer is synonymous with the promise of adventure. With the closing of school comes a freedom that fuels the imagination. Unfortunately, grand ideas do not make an unforgettable summer. Action makes an unforgettable summer, and I almost lost this experience through lack of action. I almost did not even apply for this opportunity. Why am I doing this? I have no chance of winning! This is such a waste of time. Those were my thoughts as I completed the application, which I did at the urging of my parents and teachers. TYPE 2005 taught me a valuable lesson about the pitfalls of this attitude. It showed me that I could idly dream about having an amazing summer, but I would have to take action make that dream a reality. << Back to Journal Home page