Ok ladies and gents. I totally forgot to blog about my hike to the top of Mt Fuji!!! So this trip occurred during the first week after I arrived in Japan. It took eight hours to travel to the top of Fuji-san, and out of the eight hours four of them were excruciating. Climbing Mt. Fuji is not an easy task. I would not recommend it to anyone that is has not grown up in Japan to climb this mountain without exercising hard. I say this because the Japanese people walk or bike everywhere mostly so they have leg muscle to handle the climb plus the lung capacity. I can not imagine how long it would have taken me to reach the top if I did not exercise at all this summer. This trip can only be done by the brave and the bold, as well as the determined. There were many times I felt like giving up, but Charlie-san, Lakeland College Japan staff, helped me tremendously, and I am truelly grateful for that. Fuji-san is not something to take lightly because people have died trying to climb to the top; eight people died in July 2009 and I climbed it August 2009. One wrong step could be the end of you, seriously. I am glad that I made it to the top because I was able to see the sun rise, which was beautiful. Not only that, I have a sense of accomplishment for beating the greatest physical and mental challenge I have come across in my life. But, there is a proverb stating "a wise man climbs Fuji-san once, a fool climbs it twice." I do not see myself trying that feat again, at least not anytime soon. Anyway, um... I think I passed my Japanese test with an 'A', maybe. I have another test for Eastern Religion Traditions this coming Friday, and that is the only class I am worried about, but hey....I love a challenge. This is just another day in the life of me.