Give Good Cheer

'Tis the season where we hear a lot about cheer... spreading it, receiving it, reveling in it. And it's also a season in which for some reason, despite all that we hear and talk about giving, often we think of ourselves most.

What do I want for Christmas?

I wish people would get out of my way so I can get my shopping done...

All of the holiday traffic is so inconvenient for me...

I'm so busy this month...

I know I'm guilty of all of those thoughts, plus more. Recently a friend sent me a cool & short video about giving cheer... and simply giving. It was a great reminder to stop thinking about myself so dang much, and also a reminder that little things really can make a difference. Check it out!

www.levi.com/cheer

What if we each made the commitment to GIVE this season, in whatever way we can?

It doesn't have to be world changing...

GIVE...

BACK

A Little

A LOT

FREELY

SWEETLY

THANKS

TO PEOPLE YOU KNOW

TO PEOPLE YOU DON'T

UNEXPECTEDLY

GENEROUSLY

SINCERELY

Give.

Altruism?

If you're a reader of my blog, you probably know by now that service is something I care a lot about. I believe that I have been called to leave what I touch better than I found it, and I believe that I was created - actually, that we were all created - to serve others in some capacity. And there are SO many cool things that people are doing in this world to help make it better using their gifts and blessings. That's obvious, as it's what I most often write about. That excites me and I think it deserves to be shared.

Lately, though, I've had many conversations and thought a lot about why we serve. Is it for our own benefit? For the benefit of others? If there is some good in it for us, does that negate the good we’re doing for the people benefiting from the service? Take for example companies that are centered around giving… let’s take one I’ve blogged about… TOMS shoes. A friend asked me not long ago if the founder of TOMS, Blake Mycoskie, is a humanitarian or a business man. I said both. He asked if it’s possible to be both at once. I said yes… he countered that while Blake is doing great things for people, he’s simply a brilliant business man who is making more revenue because of the fact that he’s helping people. So… if Blake is making money, does that mean he’s not a humanitarian? Do you have to give up monetary success, comforts, etc. to be a humanitarian? If you’re reaping some benefit, monetary, emotional, social or otherwise, are you still “serving”?

Altruism:
a concern or regard for the needs of others, entirely without ulterior motive.

Is that possible? Can we really do anything without ulterior motives? When we serve others, even when it takes sacrifice, is it out of pure concern for their needs, or do we always have ulterior motives? Furthermore, if people benefit, do our motives matter?

The truth is... I don’t really know.

Here's what I do know:

• I believe in a God who has called us to love others as we love ourselves, and to be servants to them.
• I have a heart that aches and is burdened by the state of our world and by the people who are hurting in it.
• I am constantly aware that I am by far among the wealthy elite compared to the rest of the world, and I am often sickened that I do not do near enough about it.

But is my heartache over people in need and the resulting tug to do something about it actually selfish deep down? I don’t know… I hope not, but to be honest, it’s definitely possible. The truth is, I know my heart, and I know that simply because I’m human I’m sinful. But luckily, I believe in a God who redeems and forgives and changes me through knowing and experiencing Him. My model for not only service, but for how I want to live and who I want to become is Christ. I pray every day that I would be made more into His likeness. The fact of the matter is Jesus Christ lived a life - and died a death - that was about everyone but himself. And so I believe that serving others is one of the best ways that we can be made more like Him. He commanded us to serve. And so I think when we serve others in obedience to Him, we are changed through that experience, and our wickedness is slowly melted and replaced by the same love He has for us.

I also know that regardless of our motives or of how we benefit from results of service - whether that be feeling good about what we did, being recognized for our work, or reaping financial gain - the bottom line is, when we take action, people's lives are better. Period.

So... let's do some good, huh?

P.S. It was really hard to condense what I wrote into what is above. I've got so many other thoughts about this swirling around in my brain, and lots of them are conflicting. What are your thoughts? Please share!

Twitter, Facebook, and Your Network - Powerful Tools for Change

So, I do the whole Twitter thing. I tweet (that’s fun to say!) fairly regularly. Once in a while it’s about something important, but most often it’s just random musings or happenings throughout my day. And... I admit that I follow A FEW celebrities on twitter. Not many – but a few who I think are witty enough to warrant reading what’s going on in their heads on a regular basis.

One of those celebs is Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy. I’m not really sure why I started following him, but I randomly added him one day… probably just because I like his music. I've enjoyed following him and reading his updates... although I'll admit sometimes it's kind of weird, because it's not like we're friends and I really know what he's talking about when referring to his life happenings. It's a weird world, this whole social media thing. Weird... and powerful.


So a few weeks ago (yes, this post is way overdue) there was a bit of a buzz that Pete was about to hit 1 million followers. (Can you imagine a million people reading your life's updates?) He posted that there would be a surprise to celebrate the 1 million mark. I was really interested in what this surprise would be, and how he would celebrate it, so I was excited when he finally reached 1 million. When I saw what he was doing, I was even more excited. And appreciative.

Pete decided to illustrate the power of 1, and how that can turn into the power of 1 million. He set up a website where his followers (and others) can donate $1 to help people in East Africa through Invisible Children (which I blogged about back in March). Read his message and thoughts about using social media as a tool to help the world (& maybe even donate a dollar) here http://petewentz.com/post/140798299/the-million-tweet.

Pete is using his influence – in this case via one million twitter followers - to contribute. To help get something done. To fight. $1 isn't much... but when 1 million people give $1 it's suddenly very significant.

So Pete Wentz has one million followers. I have a whopping 36 followers on Twitter. Clearly, that doesn't begin to compare. So what about us?

We all have influence. It may not be a million people – but we have it. We all have a network – of friends, family, co-workers, heck even facebook friends and followers on twitter. And the fact that we can't each make an impact through 1 million people should not stop us from using the influence that we do have. It starts somewhere, and each act is significant. Remember what $7 can do in Africa? (If you don’t, check out my Feb. 22 blog about Mocha Club) Take a nod from Pete Wentz.

How can you use the influence you have in your network - however big or small - to contribute?

Thanks to Pete I’m re-energized and inspired to blog about world changers again after being a major slacker this summer! Peace, love & change!

Long Overdue Update

I'm not really sure what happened to my blogging... But now I'm back! To ease back into it, I thought I'd just start with a long over-due update on my travels and happenings over the last couple of months. Nothing deep or serious, just what I've been up to.


I left off on my last post right before I headed to California to begin a 2 week travel whirlwind full of friends, work, and lots of fun! I arrived in Sacramento where my great friends Jesse and Marcus picked me up. As we were walking around Sacramento, somehow San Francisco came up and when I mentioned that I'd never been, they said it was less than two hours away. So of course... we hopped in the car and headed to the bay!


We didn't have much time, but here are some shots from our time at Pier 39:

Jesse and I:

Marcus and I: (Shout out to Jill & Cory... Marcus's VA Tech shirt drew a LOT of attention!) :)

Alcatraz... Jesse swam from the Island to shore last year, and he's doing it again this year, plus running the golden gate bridge when he's finished! He's my hero. :)

After a couple of hours in San Fran, we headed to Jesse's parent's house for Easter weekend. Lots of friends and family joined us for a sleepover, and we had a great time playing on the ranch, riding four wheelers, cooking out, climbing (and falling out of) trees, and just enjoying a special weekend with fantastic people! (Unfortunatley, I was having too much fun to snap any photos!)

From there I spent the week with Jesse and Marcus in Chico, where they go to school. It was a busy week, but we had a great time as I accompanied them to meetings, school, the office, and of course we spent some time having fun away from campus as well! Other highlights - girl time with Amy Lewis and helping Carey host trivia night at the Banshee!

Thursday night we loaded up in Carey's truck and drove to Fresno for California FFA's state convention. I got to see many friends, as well as watch and coach two of the national FFA officers, Nessie and Paul. They did a great job, and it was a great week! One of my only photos from the week: Marcus, Nessie, and her regional advisor, Mr. Beard:
After the conference was over, I spent an extra night with friends in Fresno. It was fun to spend some downtime with people I usually only see at work events.

I miss chocolate shakes and smoothies with Jimmy:

The next morning I got on a plane and headed to the opposite coast for a few days in Florida! My first stop was Gainesville. It was incredible to be back in a place that is so special to me, with people who are even more special. A girl's day with Christy, dinner with Elio, Erica and Brady at Sonny's (one of my favorites!) and chilling at the house on 34th St. with Elio just like old times was just what I needed.

Yay for Sonny's sweet tea & corn nuggets!
After my short time in G'ville I hopped in the car and headed to Tampa to pick up some of my favorite people from the airport! We were there for my best friend Tracy's bachellorette party weekend at the beach. Tracy, her mom, her sister Karen and Shauna flew in and we headed to our condo on the beach in Treasure Island! It was a very fun weekend. Time on the beach is always good... and there is nothing quite like being there with some of the people who know you best. A weekend with my best friend and second family was so good for the soul. Some pictures of the fun:

Playing on the beach at night: Dragging ourselves away from the sand for a fun dinner and night out:

Back in Indy, we celebrated Marty's birthday early before he left for China. Good times! Whitney and I put our bargain shopping and decorating skills to the test and spent a weekend re-decorating the downstairs of our town house. We had a blast hunting for furniture and accessories at antique stores and retro shops all over Indy, and were pretty excited with the results!

After a couple of weeks at home it was time to head out for another two weeks on the road. First I spent a week in College Station, TX with the national officers for a week of training and coaching. It was weird to be there and know that I almost ended up there for grad school, and wonder about how different life would be now if I had gone there! I had a good week being with the team, and catching up with my old FFA friend Dustin.

From College Station I headed straight to Asheville, North Carolina for the much anticipated wedding of Christy & Elio! I love both of them so much! It was a BEAUTIFUL setting (the Grove Park Inn), a beautiful ceremony, and a blast of a reception with great friends from all over the country. Congratulations to the Chiarellis! Friends at the wedding:

Of course I had lots of fun dancing with Barrett :) We don't get to do that very often these days! I really miss Tate, the most southern gentleman I know! Erica... she thinks her name is Shelby. Her favorite colors are blush and bashful. Amy. I miss long bike rides and suffering through runs with her.
From one wedding to another... I headed from Asheville to Fayetteville for the wedding of Tracy & Seth. Talk about a fun and special week! I spent a few days with the family before Tracy & Seth arrived in town (and got to rub my little sister's pregnant belly for the first time!). After that, wedding fun and preparation began!

Me with Melissa and Tracy, high school best friends at the bachellorette party:

Breck and Jennie: new friends are a perk of friends getting married!



Tracy married a Buckeye fan. Luckily I have Jennie, a fellow Gator to keep me company when I'm among all the OSU people... We love to give them a hard time! I love her! (Us downtown after the rehearsal dinner)



Jennie and I with the groom's cake. In case you're not familiar with Gator football, we're holding up the score of the national championship football game the Gators won against the buckeyes. (41-14) It was so good to hang out with Melissa!

We love getting together with Hawley when we're home!

If everyone had a Tracy in their life, the world would be a better place.

She married a wonderful man! (Who I like to claim responsibility for her meeting, as I drug her to the concert where they met) I like to call Seth my best friend in-law. :)

The girls from high school: Melissa, Sarah, Tracy, Crystal and I.

The Nash-Rothey wedding was so fun and such a blessing to be a part of. Thanks to both families for your work and hosting wonderful events! It couldn't have been better!

So there you have it... the last couple of months summed up into a few pictuers and paragraphs. As for what's happening now, things are really starting to get busy again. Although national FFA convention is not until October, planning is starting to really pick up, and I'm doing a lot of prep work for when the national officers are in town for convention planning and training. This week I'll head out on my last bit of vacation for a very long time :). I'm going to DC for the 4th of July - I'll get to see my roommate who I've been without all summer, as well as LOTS of great friends from all over the country. After that, it's back to Indy, traveling for work, and full-on convention planning and execution. I'm excited, nervous, anxious and ready for all of it! Bring it on!

One Day Without Shoes

This Thursday, April 16th go barefoot to help TOMS Shoes rasie awareness for the One for One movement. One Day Without Shoes is a nationwide event to get the word out about how TOMS is changing the lives of children in need. Learn more and check out the video here.

There are also many local shoeless events - check out TOMS shoes to see if there is one in your area!

Hope you'll join in to raise awareness! Peace, love & TOMS. :)

A Good Read & the Power of Pennies

One day I was in the airport and I randomly picked up this book and decided to buy it:

I really wasn't sure what I was getting in to when I opened up, but I was soon engrossed in the AMAZING story of Greg Mortenson. It describes his journey that started out as a failed attempt to climb Pakistan's K2 (the second highest mountain in the world) and ended with him establishing schools to promote peace in some of the most remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. He went from lost to homeless to hero in a matter of a few years. If you're in to mountain climbing, adventure, peace, fighting terrorism, or changing the world, this is a MUST READ. (You can get it on Amazon for less than $10!)

My good friend Jill:

is involved in something really cool related to Three Cups of Tea and Mortenson's cause. Jill works for the Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention at Virginia Tech that was formed out of the tragedy that happened there April 16th, 2007. The Center's student affiliate organization, Students for Non-Violence, is bringing Greg Mortenson, author of the book, to campus on April 15th. (I am so jealous and wish I could be there!) As a part of that they are organizing a "Pennies for Peace" drive on campus as well. Their goal is that the VT community can raise enough funds to build a school in Pakistan/Afghanistan and maintain it for 5 years at a donation of only $1.77 per student on campus. How cool! Some of us at FFA are getting busy collecting pennies for Jill as well. If you're interested in learning more about the cause or how you can help with the Pennies for Peace campaign at VT (or just have some spare change!), please let me know!

Good luck, Jill! You are involved in a really cool cause!

In other news, this weekend I'm heading out of town for a couple of weeks. Stops include Chico & Fresno, CA, Gainesville & Clearwater, FL. I'm hoping to have some fabulous stories and pictures to share from my adventures! And... if you're in one of those towns I'm so excited to see you soon!

My Favorite Bracelet

I have this bracelet that my friend Marcus gave me. It's pretty simple - red and black, and made from reeds. The cool thing about it is that it was hand made in Uganda and the cash that Marcus paid for it went to help put children in Uganda through school.

The Bracelet Campaign is just one of the cool things that Invisible Children is doing to change people's lives around the world. A quick run-down on Invisible Children:

Three young college filmmakers, Jason, Bobby and Laren traveled to Africa in the spring of 2003 in search of a story. When they witnessed how the unseen war in Northern Uganada was affecting the children there they were both "disgusted and inspired". They told their stories in Invisible Children: Rough Cut, a documentary about their experieneces in Uganda. The complete story, The Final Cut, is coming to theatres soon. Keep your eyes out for it!

Becuase of these experiences, Jason, Bobby and Laren went beyond the film and founded Invisble Children, a nonprofit working to transform apathy into activism. They have many campaigns in addition to the bracelet campagin mentioned above, and I could never do this organization justice in a blog post. So... check out the website - http://www.invisiblechildren.com/home.php - it's really powerful, really cool, and really inspiring. Also... here's a link to one of my favorite Invisbile Children videos... it's short - and the message applies to so much more than just this singular cause... please take a minute to watch it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JUwYkiKWlI

PS - thanks for the bracelet Marcus! :)

Shoes for Tomorrow

When I first started this blog I knew that one of the first people/companies I wanted to share was this one:

TOMS

(Shoes for Tomorrow)

So, what's so special about TOMS? It's pretty simple:

My (healthy) obsession with TOMS began last year when my friend forwarded me a job post... She said it was with a really cool company that made her think about me. Well, I wasn't looking for a new job, but it sounded interesting, so I checked out their website.

I was surprised and inspired by the story I found there.

In a nutshell, this guy Blake

went to Argentina on vacation in 2006. While he was there he was stricken by the poverty he saw, especially among children. Many children couldn't afford shoes to wear, and as a result were contracting some pretty nasty diseases through their feet. (Let that sink if for a moment. NO SHOES. And because of that, they were getting sick. Can you even imagine? The reality of that situation is so hard for me to grasp when i have a closet full of shoes I only wear with certain outfits.) Anyway...

That could've easily been the end of the story, but it's not.

Blake designed a simple canvas shoe based on the traditional Argentine alpargata.

That May Blake started selling the shoes from his apartment with a simple philosophy: for every shoe he sold he'd give one to a child in need. By October of that year he'd sold over 10,000 pairs and in turn delivered 10,000 pairs to Argentina in what TOMS calls a shoe drop.

Since then TOMS has given away over 130,000 pairs of shoes and plans to give over 300,000 more this year.

After learning more about TOMS I was sold. I purchased a pair for myself and for every staff member of the Washington Leadership Conference last year. Because the conference was about service, I figured TOMS were the perfect shoes for us to sport all summer. We got white shoes, had a party, and painted them... TOMS calls it "Style Your Sole." http://styleyoursole.tomsshoes.com/ (We each painted ours to represent an area of service we were committed to).

We had a ton of fun and all ended up with a very unique pair of shoes!

Me painting my shoes:

The group modeling our finished products:

Reasons I love wearing TOMS:

1. They're very comfy

2. They're unique

3. I always get asked about them when I wear them, which gives me an opportunity to share the story about a cool company making the world better.

There is definitely a color and design for everyone:

And they don't just sell shoes. They have some pretty sweet other merchandise, like my most recent purchase:It combines my favorite shoes with my favorite quote! And the "one for one" applies to anything you buy from TOMS - so you buy a t-shirt, hat, etc... a kid gets a pair of shoes!

All this being said, here's what is most incredible and ispiring to me about this company: The founder,

Blake Mycoskie.

This is a guy, pretty young, who saw a need in the world ... and then - get this -

DID something ABOUT it.

To me, Blake is proof that we really can change the world. That one person can make a difference. It all started selling some canvas shoes out of his apartment... and now, 130,000 lives are better because of him.

So what does it mean for us? Realistically, most of us are probably not called to start a company of such magnitude. But... every time I put on my TOMS I'm reminded of how lame my excuses are for not doing more to make the world a better place. If Blake Mycoskie can do so much in such a short time, we can all do a little more... whether it's making the extra effort to separate trash and recyclables, volunteering for a local cause, giving a little more to the charity we support, or even making a commitment to seek out and buy from compainies that give back, like TOMS. It's just about changing our mindset to realize that what we do does matter... and that

WE

CAN

Change the World.

Read more about the TOMS story or buy some shoes at http://www.tomsshoes.com/, and check out this cool video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD4f-KkAqwM.

Peace, love & TOMS :)

I Need Africa More Than Africa Needs Me...

Yesterday was an exciting day... because I got a new t-shirt in the mail! I bought a shirt from Mocha Club's latest campaign... "I need Africa more than Africa needs me." It's a pretty sweet shirt - I've already worn it (and it's REALLY comfy!) Check it out below!

So why do I need Africa? Check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAB-zJPsJjs

The really cool news is...

anyone who joins Mocha Club right now gets the shirt for FREE!

And the even better news... Marshall and I's team
ORANGE & BLUE
is on-line!

To join our team for just the cost of 2 mochas a month go to: www.mochaclub.org/joinme/Renee_Durham.

An Invitation

Do you love coffee as much as I do? Not only do I love coffee, I love coffee that costs a ridiculous amount of money. Although I know that in my head, I just can't help stopping at Starbucks for a latte or mocha once in a while. I wonder how much money I spend at Starbucks in a month. What does this have to do with anything? Keep reading.

A few nights ago Marshall and I went to a small music venue here in Indy to see a Dave Barnes concert. I've been a Dave Barnes fan for a couple of years, (thanks to Marshall who introduced me to his music). He's got a great voice, puts on a fantastic (and really funny) show, and I love his music. So for those reasons alone, you should check him out.So all that is really cool, but there's even more reason to love him. Many of Dave's song lyrics hint at something bigger than himself. Hearing him singing about changing your own actions because of others in need (10,000 children) and changing the world (Brothers & Sisters), I assumed that on some level Dave Barnes 1) is living for something more, and 2) has a heart for service. Seeing him in concert for the first time, I realized that both of those assumptions are true - and probably to a bigger degree than I'd realized.

In the middle of his set, Dave slowed things way down and took about 15 minutes to talk about his experiences serving in Africa (he's been 4 times) and working with Mocha Club. Mocha Club is an organization working to tie together two communities - ours and Africa - by encouraging people to give as little as $7 a month... roughly the cost of two mochas. In fact, I'm sitting at Starbucks right now and the board lists a grande mocha at $3.65... so two of those is less than a monthly membership to Mocha Club.

A musician rocking out and then all of a sudden stopping and using a chunk of his show to talk about serving and giving? And... seven dollars? To help create change? Seriously? Yeah. Here's what $7 can do: You know, I often struggle with doing "small things" to help. It never feels like enough... and sometimes because it's so small it makes it feel like it doesn't really matter (verbalizing that makes me feel wretched). But I looked at the numbers above. And I looked at the faces in the pictures and videos on the Mocha Club website and have done my best to make them real to me and not just images.

And I try to put myself in their place (which is SO hard in our life of excess and riches.) And I realized - if I got to drink clean water for a year, or I got a quick shot that saved me from dying from Malaria - I would fiercely believe that $7 is enough to make a difference.

So I signed up. Marshall and I created a team - Orange and Blue (I know... real creative) and because of that, we each got a free Dave Barnes CD. Come to find out, Dave Barnes (as well as other musicians like Matt Wertz) has been giving away free CD's all year... for signing up to join Mocha club, for recruiting more people to join, etc. I wonder how many CD's Dave Barnes has given away in the last year that he could have profited from, but chose not to.

He's parting with serious revenue. I'm parting with a couple of cups of coffee. Coffee that I really enjoy... but still just coffee. You know, maybe it's not coffee for you. Maybe you hate coffee. If that's the case, what's your "mocha"? What do you spend $7 a month on that is nice but you could easily part with and not really miss or maybe even not notice it's gone? McDonald's? People magazine? A movie? I know that we hear these pitches all the time for hundreds of different charities. Quit ignoring them. Pick one - whether it's Mocha Club or not - and give something that you don't really need anyway. Now.

If you want to join Mocha Club, or just learn more about what they're doing in Africa, check it out at http://www.mochaclub.org/. You can join my team! (However... because I signed up on paper at the concert my team info isn't live on the website yet, so hang tight :))

And... be sure to check out Dave Barnes on his website or iTunes - a really cool musician doing cool things for the world.

"10,000 children are my invitation to change. To continue in excess suddenly feels oh so strange." - Dave Barnes, 10,000 Children

Thoroughly Japan (now with pictures!)

The last few days have been exhausting! For the first time since we arrived in Japan the travel and all the activity has started to catch up with me. (So... because of that I'm going to be lazy and not post pictures. I'll update soon). Something else that's happened in the last few days - it seems our experiences have become more and more authenticly Japanese (well... most of them).

Wednesday we left Tokyo and headed to Nikko. The landscape was very different - we entered mountain country. We visited one of the best tofu factories and sampled A LOT of tofu cooked many different ways. Some of it was a struggle to get down... some of it tasted amazing! Who knew you could make donuts and cheese cake mousse out of tofu? After lunch (of more tofu) we toured a huge shrine in Nikko.

Then... one of the highlights of our trip so far (ok... I know everything seems to be a highlight, but I'm SERIOUS.) We arrived at a ryokan... a traditional Japanese style hotel. When our bus pulled up we were greeted by 4 staff members at the door (in kimonos no lesss) and immediately whisked into a sitting room for sweets and green tea. Then they took our bags up to our rooms for us - traditional japanese style with multipurpose rooms, tatmi mats and slippers so you don't wear your shoes inside - and made tea for us and showed us how to put on our yukatas - casual cotton kimonos. While at the Ryokan you wear your yukata EVERYWHERE - in the lobby, to dinner, to the bathouse (a whole other story)... it was AWESOME. I loved the yukata and will definitely be buying one before I leave to replace my bathrobe.

Yukatas:

A shot of my room: You can see my futon bed on the floor, and a massage chair (yeah... I had two!) behind that.

After we got settled in, all the girls went to the communal bathouse. (The boys did too, but I definitely don't know those details!) We were a little nervous, but we were the only ones there, so it was perfect for our first time. We were definitely more modest than the Japanese, but we LOVED the hot tubs - two inside and one outside.

Dinner was served in a private room and was amanzing - and 100% japanese. Some of it was fantastic - for the first time I sincerely ENJOYED my raw tuna (and a whole baby trout - eyes and all - see below) and some of it was harder to stomach with a smile.

After dinner we had an oragami and calligraphy lesson from Chieko - we had so much fun hanging our with her and learning from her!

Oragmai:

We went back to the bathouse after that and that night I slept on the floor on the futon mat and tatmai mats in my yukata - with the balcony door open so I could hear the running water of the stream outside - and it was the best sleep I've had yet. I could seriously go on and on about this experience...

The next morning we took to nature and visited two beautiful waterfalls and a crystal clear lake in the mountain area. It was really cool to see some of the natural beauty of Japan:

Then we went to our first FFJ school visit. It was awesome - the students were so friendly and excited!

National FFA and National FFJ presidents:





Yes, they even wear slippers in school!

We went back to Tokyo for the night and ate dinner at a famous Indian restaraunt near in Ginza (ok... so not everything is Japanese!) I was nervous because my one experience with Indian food was not a pleasant one, but it was FANTASTIC!

Today we took the bullet train to Nagoya. Sadly, we all fell asleep and totally missed passing Mt. Fuji. In Nagoya we went to the port where they import hundreds of thousands of tons of US grain every month. It was very cool. Some pictures of us at the port:

This afternoon we visited another school with FFJ members. They had a party for us where we ate many food products prepared by the students and played games. Then the officers left with their host families, where they will be for the next two nights. What an exciting experience for them!

Riley at the party, helping make dumplings:

Paul and his host brother, Riley meeting his host brother, and Regina with her host sister:

The adults are staying a hotel in downtown Nagoya. Tonight we get some extra (and much needed) rest. We'll meet up with the officers and their host families tomorrow for a farm tour. For now... I'm getting some sleep. Sayonara!