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*$2.00 2.00 DAILY SERVICE Morning and afternoon departures to Fallsview Casino *After $10 Slot Reward Bonus Government Photo ID required Minimum 5- hour stay required. Valid government-issued photo identification and Players Advantage Club Card required to redeem offers. Offers subject to change without notice. Offers cannot be combined/substituted. Must be 19 years of age or older to board coaches for casino. Void where prohibited. FOR RESERVATIONS CALL 1-800-838-1789 168 CLARENCE ST., PORT COLBORNE, L3K 3G5T.I.C.O. #50007535OMCA Member www.casinocoach.ca www.frontlinetours.ca From Carpool Lot Guelph Line, North Service Rd EVERY SUN, TUES, THURS, FRI & SAT EVERY WEDNESDAY & SATURDAY Morning & Afternoon From Hopedale Mall PRICE INCLUDES NEW HST TAX w w w .oa kvillebe av er . co m ?OAKVILLE BE A V E R Frida y, October 15, 201 0 ? 24 By Julia Spencer GRADE 11, T. A. BLAKELOCK H.S. After six months of culture and lan-guage classes, I thought I was prepared for the adventure I was about to embark upon, Japan. My journey com- menced after landing in Osaka, when Yu Nakamura, a vibrant, smiling-faced student, Getting by in Japan with a little help from her friends met me. After the introductions, we took off on a 45-minute bike ride through the back roads of Neyagawa. While sweat was dripping down my face and my thighs were burning in agony all I could think to myself was: the night school leading up to this could not in any way prepare me for the challenges I was about to face. As we arrived at my host familys apartment, my stomach was in knots in anticipation of meeting the Nakamuras. After unbolting the six locks on the door, I walked down what seemed like an eternal hallway. Near the end of that excru- ciating walk, Mr. Nakamura met me. Although he didnt speak any English, he surprised me f with the welcoming lyrics o Julia by the Beatles. I was baffled. There stood two very different people, from different continents, speaking different languages, communicating through the clas- sic lyrics of the Beatles. From that point forward, any talking between Mr. Nakamura and I was strictly Beatles-based. Although I made a vigorous effort to learn and converse in the Japanese language, every night the father and I would have our own conversations we would sit at the dinner table, chopsticks in hand, and talk about his glory days back when he lived in his yellow submarine and walked through strawberry fields forever. It became quite comical at times, sitting on the couch watch- ing a Sumo wrestling match when he would turn to me and say, Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. When in reality, yesterday he had taken me on a tour of the Osaka castle. I would laugh and reply with a large smirk on my face, Help, I need somebody. High school was similar. Nishi-Neyagawa was full of spir- ited young students who were all extremely welcoming. I had the pleasure of attending several classes. I scribbled non- sense in calligraphy, sipped green tea in a yukata and attempted to skin and debone a fish in home economics. During one of the English classes I attended, I was surprised wwhen the teacher handed me a lesson plan and asked me to teach the class. f The lesson plan consisted o conversational English, once again, based on lyrics by the Beatles. Remarkably, my lesson had an evident impact on the students. A few days after that class, I was walking down the halls and was approached by a student throwing out a high-five, yelling, Hey Jude! I chuckled under my breath. While staring at the passing clouds on the long 16-hour jour- ney home, I was astounded that even through the passage of time and travel, simple pleasures like The Beatles lyrics can keep two cultures connected. I realized that my experience was far from easy, but I got by with a little help from my friends.