My Big Decision in Oregon

by Saki U.

Last summer, I went to Oregon to study English for a month. It was the first time to go to America in my life, and I really enjoyed my American life. I stayed with my host family, studied at the University of Oregon on weekdays, and visited some nice places on the weekend. I got a lot of friends and memories. Now, I would like to talk about one of my unforgettable memories.

One day, I had to make a decision on where I would go to on the next Saturday: to a wedding of my host mother's relative, or a short trip to Portland with my university friends. I didn't want to feel loneliness by not going to Portland with my friends. But I also wanted to go to the wedding, because I was interested in American style weddings, and I had never been to a wedding, even in Japan. Finally, I decided to go to the wedding! I thought it was the chance of a lifetime.

On the day of the wedding, I and my host family went to a campsite by car. I had thought the wedding was held inside, like in a hall or church. So I was really surprised at the outside wedding. At first, we had a ceremony. Then, we had a party, eating food, and dancing. Finally, we did a camp fire, eating baked marshmallows, and talking to each other. That night, we slept in a tent, and went back home the next morning.

During the wedding, I actually felt loneliness, because there were many people I had never met before, nobody could speak Japanese, and there were no friends who helped me. But, people around me were very friendly and kind. They talked to me actively, and they tried to understand my poor English patiently. It was a good environment for practicing English. I'll never regret that I didn't go to Portland.