pdo and more

Recently, I had the AFS pre-departure orientation. It took up almost an entire day, and was more fun than I expected! I met a bunch of people who are going to Japan, all seemed pretty fantastic. Unfortunately, two people I met are not going to Tokyo. :( I was surprised by the number of people going to Tokyo, though, it was impressive. The PDO only magnified my excitement. Strangely enough, the girl who was in charge of the Japan group had stayed a summer in China. So...she couldn't exactly answer culture specific questions, seeing as the two countries are completely different. It was still helpful in some ways.
On another note, as of now, SCHOOL IS OVER. Exams were last week, and I also had my last piano recital of the academic year yesterday, so the relief is immense. Yay! Now I have about a week of "free" time. Most of which will be spent frenziedly packing. And the rest will be squandered away reading, watching sherlock, and listening to the POTC soundtrack. Of course, I will not waste any time!
I've kept in contact with my host family (or rather my mother and sister). I am ridiculously excited to meet them. I still have to ask a bunch of questions before I leave. I bought them a bunch of gifts this past week. Suzuka, my sister, had her birthday on Saturday, so I emailed her (and bought an extra present). She told me she's looking forward to celebrating my birthday with me in Japan. :) My birthday's July 4th, it's going to be my first time having my birthday in a place where it's not a national holiday. 
Alrighty, I'm off. I'll write in the near future. Ciao.
~Elizabeth