The End, Part 1: List of Special Achievements Unlocked While in Japan

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So I’m home now. Le sigh. I wish I knew how to quit you, Japan. ;_;
But anyway, here is some pretty cool stuff I did (in no particular order):

• Ate Christmas cake as my birthday cake with my family on a shinkansen (bullet train)
• Saw a Lizst-themed classical concert at the famous temple Kiyomizudera, all lit up at night (thanks host mom!)
• Saw apprentice geisha dancing and playing instruments expertly in a lovely theater in Gion (thanks again, host mom!)
• Petted a capybara (they feel like hay, but are cute and chill)
• Had a hairclip stolen by a sneaky squirrel-monkey:

• Had a ridiculous night with some classmates involving cosplay and deluxe karaoke, paid for by some weird random nihonjin guys
• Wrote an essay in Japanese (for a class other than language class)
• Got interviewed about farts by a random Japanese comedian in a black bodysuit:

• Performed in 2 choir concerts with the esteemed Kyoto University Gasshoudan
• Sang "I’m Yours" with 2 American friends at an in-choir event—and won the grand prize by popular vote (Watch here)
• Soaked in hot springs in the snow, and later in a windy cove by the water
• Went to KOREA! Without really knowing any of the language.
• Walked around the city in kimonos for free with my KCJS buddies, staring at the plum blossoms and also getting stared at:

• Went to a J-Rock festival and saw 3 of my favorite bands in one day
• Worshiped at the shrine where the sun goddess Amaterasu is housed in Ise
• Made Valentine’s chocolate for the first time:

• Led the search for my dad’s missing passport all over Tokyo (he did not get it back)
• Signed the emperor’s birthday registry (it's the one on the far left):

• Went on a date with a cute Japanese guy
• Dispelled stereotypes to said guy, such as the American diet consisting of burgers and Coke
• Got prize money for being one of four people in KCJS to “exemplify the spirit of the program” (which apparently had something to do with throwing myself into my CIP activity, the choir)
• Lugged over 100 pounds of stuff back home, with a transfer in San Fran ("Strong women, strong girls!")