So, last week I moved to my second host family, and I just wanted to do short ( and albeit late) thank-you post for their kindness.
The way that my first host family worked was my host mum and dad were the grandparents, and the son, daughter-in-law, and their two daughters (17 and 19 years old) live in the house next door. We had family dinners on the weekends, but most days I ate with just my host mum and dad. Since my Japanese language skills have much to be desired, and my host mum and dad don't speak much English, we weren't able to communicate much, but in the last few weeks I was able to have some shorter conversations with them, which was really nice!! My first host family was so kind in showing me traditional Japanese foods, as well as pointing out cultural differences, and showing me different shrines. I think that my favourite memory with my first host family was teaching them how to play Hears, one of my favourite card games! I was so glad that they liked it!! Anyways, thank you so much guys, you all are great <3
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My host family's vacation house
So, that's all I've got for today, though I'm sure another blog post is coming soon- I've got way too much time on my hands! See you next time!
(no birds were harmed in the making of this blog post) This Sunday was super fun! I spent the majority of it with my host family, going school shopping, then going to lunch at an udon restaurant for lunch. We also visited my first Shinto shrine, which was a very cool experience! Shopping
Marukameseimen Udon Reastaurant
Samukawa Shrine
This has been such an amazing day, thank you to my gracious host family for showing me all these amazing things!
See you next time everyone! Well, I really don't know what I did this time that was different, but now the pictures are downloading! So, anyways, these first ones are of us at the beach at the orientation in Zushi. So that's pretty much all I have for now, hopefully I'll get my own uniform soon so I can take some pictures and make a post about school! Which, for all those wondering, is going wonderfully! I can barely understand any kanji, but some friends have been helping me out with that (a huge thank you by the way, y'all are lifesavers)! I am so excited for the school festival that's coming up soon! That's all for tonight, see ya! Hey everyone!! I'm sorry for the late post, I've been having some technical difficulties of late. I arrived safe and sound in Japan on the 22nd- and it's been a whirlwind since then! Everything is so different, the streets are narrower, the vending machines are 10 times better, and the food is absolutely to die for (although I wouldn't suggest doing so). Due to the aforementioned technical difficulties, there are no pictures for this post- I'm sorry, I'll try to figure things out and get them up as soon as possible, thank you for your patience! Anyhoo, this is about the orientation because I didn't want for things to get too long, but without further delay, here it is! OrientationArrival
I arrived at around 18:30 at the Haneda airport, and was met by the Ayase Rotary Club's youth exchange counselor, and the club secretary and his wife. They were all very welcoming- I couldn't have asked for a better welcome to Japan! I then went to my first host family's house, where I had dinner, spent the night, and then was immediately whisked off to the District 2780 orientation Day one of the orientation The D2780 orientation was held in Zushi, a seaside town (that's super pretty!). All of us inbound students and the Rotex students of D2780 stayed in a boys school that was right on the ocean- I could see the water from the window!! We had planned to go swimming to cool off, but since a typhoon was coming in the waves were too big (too bad, since we where having temperatures of above 35 degrees). The first day we went down to the beach anyways, just to get some fresh air and take some pictures. It was so nice to meet all the other exchange students, especially since we had all been chatting over Messenger for a little while. Through the day, we did some group activities (lead by the Rotex students) and worked on our Japanese introductions (also helped by the Rotex students). All of the inbound were paired with a Rotex student that had gone to their country for their exchange, so that they could help us with the language. All of the students and (most) adults had basic English (for which I am very grateful). That night, I had my first typhoon- it was crazy!! The wind was so strong that it whistled very loudly through the air vents (sounded a wee bit like screaming, which was creeping me out a bit), and rattled some of the inside doors, which was also slightly surprising at first. The waves, however, where amazing!!! I was reminded of some of the storms that we get in winter in Victoria (which made me a little bit homesick, but I got over it quick enough). Day two The second day of the orientation was pretty chill, but the waves where still pretty big, so it was really cool just sitting by the window and watching them! This is the day that we all got our yukata! It was so exciting to finally be able to wear them after so much anticipation!! They are quite tricky to put on, so a Rotex student helped me put it on (and fold it up afterwards rip). It really pretty, and I can't wait to wear it again!! In all, the orientation was an amazing two days, and I'd like to thank everyone involved in keeping it running smoothly! That's all for now, but I'll (hopefully) have another post about my first host family and my school up with pictures in the next few days! See ya!
Once I found out where I was going (and after I had looked up many vlogs about Japan), my thoughts turned to the Japanese language. I was intimidated (still am, actually), not just by the three alphabets that I have to learn, but by the vast cultural differences between Canada and Japan. From things that you would expect (eating with chopsticks instead of a fork and a knife), to the things that I've never thought of as something that others might do differently (not just having a single alphabet to write with). It's actually a fun learning exercise to find something that you take for granted, and then find someone or a group of people who either don't do that, or do it very differently.
Well this post got a little bit ramble-y, but I hope that it was a good start. |
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September 2018
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