Thomas Bartlett's Japan Trip

The donation goal has been met! Thank you all so much for supporting my dream of going to Japan.


Hello everyone and anyone looking at this little GoFundMe, my name is Thomas Bartlett.  As it says on the tin, I'm trying to raise money for my trip to Japan. 
The 2017-2018 is going to be my third year of taking Japanese under Curtis High School. In the span of three years, I've learned a fair bit about Japan, Japanese culture, as well as, obviously, the language itself.  Through Japanese, as corny as this may sound, I've actually found out a lot about what I want to do in regards to the whole life thing.  I do not want to come off as someone who only appreciates Japanese culture for the anime or "cute factor", so I am trying to word this very carefully, but I really like Japanese.  At a basic level, it makes a lot more sense, but there's so many interesting little bells and whistles that make in very exciting, difficult, and overall unique to learn.  I think that after dedicating as much as my time to this as I have, and through the strong sense of gratification I get from helping other students with the language, I really want to make a career out of Japanese.  That being said, it might not be the easiest thing to do.
Every three years, there is a school-sponsored trip to the Sun's Origin.  I want to go, as luck would have it. Included in this two-week trip are living accomodations, including a luxury hotel in Kyoto, food, drink, plane rides, and basically anything I would need to travel comfortably in Japan while also getting to go to a Japanese school, except a passport.
This trip sounds really cool, right? The issue is that, while it would definitely change my life in the sense of being able to learn much more about Japan as a whole, and would give me an incredibly firm sense of what I would want to do in my life for a 17 year old, it also costs $3,995, and roughly $4,100 after getting a passport.  Being lower-middle-class, this goal is not the easiest to achieve, sadly.  The $4,100 end goal is not hard, but it is a GOAL. I do have more money that I can use, but it's money that functions as more of a last resort than anything.  For myself, I have about $900 I earned over the summer working part-time at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, which cuts it down to $3,200. Beyond that, my parents (the ever wonderful Dan and Vicky) would be able to also provide an amount they haven't even disclosed to me.  I'll assume $200, because it leaves us down to $3,000. That is a very, very big number.  That is about 2,193 McDoubles.  Could some financial aid be available? Yes. Will it be enough? No.  That is ultimately why I am counting on anyone and everyone who would be willing to donate to this GoFundMe.
While Japanese class may not be the hardest class in the book, it has a fairly impressive rate of C's and B's. That makes it somewhat special, then, that I have managed all A's (with a percentage rate in each of nothing below 95%).  Beyond that, I am also the current Vice President of Japanese Club, which means I get to make all of the PowerPoint Presentations for the club (including this one.)  I will be taking college level courses in the maths, english, and Chinese (Mandarin), come September 25th. 
Speaking of dates, the $3,995 are due on several different days. On December 1st (check Update #1), the down payment of $395 is due; on January 30th, the first big payment of $1,800 is due; and on March 30th the second big payment of another $1,800 is due. I would be very, very grateful if you could donate - any amount counts. $1, $15, even 1 cent brings me 1 cent closer to achieving my dream of going to Japan.

たすけておねがいします。