First contact with Host Family

Hello everyone!!!

I just may be the happiest little boy in the WORLD! I just spoke with my host mom on the phone, and though my conversational Japanese absolutely SUCKS resulting in her probably thinking that my Japanese is nonexistent, IT WENT MARVELOUSLY!!! Here is what happened:

So I wrote down some notes in order to leave a well organized message, since I was not at all expecting someone to be home when it is 9 in the morning (somehow the fact that it is a Saturday in Japan slipped my mind). I did this for a good half hour or so, and then when I finally thought I was ready, with my heart beating SUPER fast and my body creating a perspiration storm of sweat in my clothing, I called them up. HOWEVER, instead of a Japanese answering machine, this very obviously American man voice answers the phone from ('u' intended. Just imagine the American accent) : "Amurica's best quality watches". Frick I'm not kidding, I almost pee'd myself. If this had not been such a serious time for me I would have fainted of laughter. Instead, after almost having a heart attack I tell the man I called the wrong number, and apprently it is because I didn't dial in the international calling code (it's 011 btw. Hopefully I am not the only one who didn't know that). SEE, going on foreign exchange is beneficial beyond belief! You could even learn the international calling code!! Anyway, I dialed the correct number, and after about 10 seconds of no sound because I am calling a phone that is over 6000 miles away, the ringing from the other end finally occured (except it sounded way different from American phone ringing). Then suddenly a lady picks up and utters the following, はい、松室家族で～す。

We spoke on the phone for a good 40 minutes or so, using a hybrid tongue of Japanese and English. She would speak in Japanese and English, and I must say her English is um, omgee crazy skilled. Not only does she know vocabulary and grammar and the like, but her pronunciation is just about perfect! LIKE WOW when she says my name (Oliver, it's sort of a butt for Japanese people to pronounce) she has no accent. I was mighty impressed and I find her a super woman indeed. Speaking a language with a very minimal accent is so difficult and she wins. She was extremely easy to talk to as well, as in, she was very open about everything and just totally chill (she called me Oliver Twist--I almost fainted. Apparently people in Japan will be making that connection too). She also mentioned that she was a YFU exchange student to Oregon when she was 17, which may be the reason behind as to why her English speech is good, and how seemingly understanding she is. She has an international perspective ;D She would crack a lot of jokes too, and was overall just a very jolly lady. Oh, and her name is Kumi, rofl I could have said that earlier.

So I asked her a hoard of questions regarding the family, and first found out that the reason as to why she was home alone was due to the host dad hiking, host brother at school (on a Saturday, ew), and host sister out 遊びに行っている'ing with friends <-- asobi ni itteiru means going out to play, basically. In Japan they use "play" for "hang out" which is so so much cooler in my honest opinion ;D. Anyway, I found out that the host sister attends Kobe Joshi University (literally means Kobe Women's University) in Kobe, which is the 6th largest city in Japan, capital of Hyogo prefecture where my high school is located, and one of the three main cities alongside Osaka and Kyoto that make up the Osaka metropolitan area, which is the 6th largest in the world at 17.3 million people.

The host brother's birthday is in August, so he is almost exactly one year younger than me as I turn 17 in September, while he is turning 16. If he went to a school in the U.S. he would be a current Sophomore like me, but the Japanese school year starts in the beginning of April, meaning he is going into 10th in two months while I "technically" should be an 11th grader once I arrive. They may place me with the 10th graders though, due to like, language barrier, way lower academic intelligence in math and science (rofl) etc. He also loves tennis, which is super awesome, but may prove to be super embarrassing for me because I literally SUCK at tennis. I never play it and it is actually perhaps my least skilled sport besides football, rugby and all the sports related. I really like tennis though and I think watching tennis is quite epic. He also does Judo, which is awesome because I have been doing a Korean martial art for 9 years, so we can relate. The host mom also told me that she wants me to do Judo with him, cause there is a dojo right near their house and I have always wanted to try a Japanese martial art anyways. Note: I just spent the last 20 minutes or so reading up on Judo, and I really appreciate the essence behind the art. The bearing of the art is very appealing and I like the method of using the opponent's force and balance against them. "Mutual prosperity" this makes me want to do Judo. However I hope I do not kill myself, since the art is based on like, throwing the partner down to the ground and stuff :/ It shall be an experience. Oh! Also forgot to mention, he loves skateboarding too. <-- I was not expecting that AT ALL. His name is Shota. 将太　しょうた

Host sister is ゆき. I do not know what her name kanji is, but it is not snow according to host-mom. Besides the above mentioned information regarding her college and the like, she apparently rigorously practices the piano, and when I responded to that with my cello playing, my host mother told me that Yuki apparently practices the cello too, and I was then asked if I am bringing my cello with me to Japan. Um, no. Like crud I hope they don't ask me to play it (which they totally will). I love the cello, I just do not practice. I'd rather spend my time on other activities. I do not really know much else about her, but she seems very musically inclined, she is 20, and she was playing with friends while I was on the phone with host-mom. She sounds awesome c:

The host parents, according to my host family information paper, own their own business, yet when I asked host-mom what their respective jobs are, she said hers was something along the lines of like, exchange or something, but I couldn't quite understand her. The father works at a bank and from the way she explained it, it seemed he owns the bank. I am not quite sure though. They do live in a very high end area though so I wouldn't be too surprised, and the school Shota and I will be attending is like crazy amazing. It's in Takarazuka!

So anyways, this is a lot of writing, and I apologize if it is too much. I am extremely thankful for how my exchange is turning out, and I could not have asked for anything better. OHHH! And I totally forgot, but I had planned on learning Osaka Kansai-ben (the regional dialect of the Osaka/Kyoto area), as the family lives in Osaka, and if I am able to speak in their dialect I may gain people's respect much easier. However apparently, according to host-mom their family and the surrounding area tends to speak in the Kyoto dialect, which is a much softer, refined, and often considered sophisticated sounding Japanese dialect. Kyoto was the capital of Japan for over 1000 years after all, so it makes sense. This actually makes my life much easier though, as the Osaka-ben is way more confusing and sounds like a completely different language from that of standard Japanese. Host-mom even said it sounds strange, which was funny. She also said that we will have to go to Kyoto on the weekends to go and practice Kyoto-ben! HOMG KYOTOOOOOOOO!!! GAWD they could not have placed me in a better location! I am right at Osaka which is an AWESOME city, I am in a super nice high-end sleeper community which is what I always wanted, and I am super close to Kobe and KYOTO!!!! WHOO. There is also a mix of Kansai Osaka and Kyoto-ben, which is awesome cause I love both dialects. I'M SO HAPPY! OH, AND MIDTERMS ARE OVER!!!

Thank you so much for reading! I hope all other fellow exchangers to Japan are fairing marvelously! You all may actually have the same questions, but I will need to ask my host family what I should do regarding the school uniform. I also need to deal with what class they will place me in at Hibarigaoka Gakuen. I asked the YFU admissions office these questions already, and they said that they are waiting for a response from YFU Japan. So we will see what happens :) I also want to know if my host family has "homed" an exchange student in the past, to see if they have actually dealt with this before.

BYE!

-Oliver