Hosting a student from Japan...

[Makalakumu]

Hey everyone;

My family and I decided that we wanted to host a student from Japan. She is a college student and she lives in an international community on campus, so we aren't going to have to share our house with her. However, during school breaks, we are supposed to invite her over because there is no one on campus. We are meeting our student tonight and we are very excited. My almost four year old daughter is tying her tongue in knots trying to say her name. It's really cute.

I'm going to cook dinner for her tonight. She has expressed an interest in trying some different American foods, but I'm wondering if I should use this moment to teach a little lesson about America. We all come from somewhere esle and so alot of our food. There are lots of indigenous foods we could serve, but there are also lots of cultural foods from my ethnicity that I could serve. My idea was to serve a variety of dishes...kind of like a mini pot-luck. What better analogy describes our nation!

Anyways, I'm really excited. I hope she knows some martial arts...

upnorthkyosa

 

[The Kai]

Fish Fry, maybe

 

[Makalakumu]

Are there any Japanese rules of etiquette that would be very important for me to know? Also, I was thinking of serving some of my home made wine at dinner, but I don't know how people in Japan view alchoholic beverages. My ethnicity is mostly german/polish...siki saki siki saki hoi hoi hoi!

 

[bignick]

From what I hear, they're pretty lax when it comes to alcohol...

 

[Ping898]

I think it is pretty kewl what you are doing. I don't have any words of wisdom about the culture or anything, but I hope it turns out to be a good experience for both of you.

 

[terryl965]

I think you are doing a fine thing for the student. Congrats
Terry

 

[Makalakumu]

There are so many cool things that we show her. Our area is replete with all kinds of outdoor activities; hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, etc. It would be kind of fun to take her ice fishing...

Depending on the part of Japan she is from, that might seem kind of unbelievable.

Hahahah

 

[arnisador]

Good luck! We hosted an exchange student from Colombia recently and intend to host a student again soon.

 

[Makalakumu]

Just jumping in quick while I get dinner ready...our student, Yuko, is a shodan in a Japanese style of Karate called Ko Tai Ren. That is way cool.

 

[Rich Parsons]

Good luck! We hosted an exchange student from Colombia recently and intend to host a student again soon.

A very nice Young Lady, that one day will be in charge of a large company or something like that. Very nice and Very Intelligent.

UpNorth,

I would say to use the first meeting as a chance to make a meal you know your family does well and is most likely something the student would eat as well.

Then the next dinner you could get a pot luck or experiment, with ideas that you have discussed with her. I know when I travelled and in Japan, I tried everything they put in front of me. Not everyone is like that though.

 

[Makalakumu]

Our first meeting was great. Yuko is a very nice woman. Very pretty and polite. She liked our kids and seemed delighted in our family. For dinner, I went with a simple pot roast. My wife gave advice very similar to Mr. Parsons and I took it. (I forget that I am rather audacious and filled with daring-do and that not everyone jumps into stuff like I do...)

We have a large language barrier and I am attempting to slow down and simplify my speech for her. Again, my wife is much better at it then I, but that makes sense, since she is much more well traveled. Overall, I don't think I came off looking like a stupid american oaf.

I attempted to talk to her about her martial arts training, but we were not really able to connect. I asked if she would show me some of her kata and she seemed embarressed so I dropped it. That probably wasn't a good move...I'm not sure. I could defintely see a difference in japanese and american culture.

I figure I'll invite her over for sushi some night soon and we'll have a chance to chat about a subject in which we can use both languages.

So far, this has been a really fun experience.

upnorthkyosa

ps - she said her hobbies were shopping, reading books, listening to music, traveling, and martial arts. Is this a pretty common combination in Japan? Should I attempt to introduce some more outdoor related things?

 

[Aqua4ever]

We have a japanese exchange student at my school right now, i've become quite good friends with her. From this experiance I wouldn't be too embarrassed or worried about her hesitation at showing you her Katas. Yuri (girl at our school) started out embarassed about everything and barely looking at us. She had a huge culture shock coming here, at her school they wore uniforms, could not wear jewlarly, no tatoos, piercings (other then very small studs) hair had to be worn down...so walking into a Canadian high school was very overwhelming. She didn't want to talk about anything incase it seemed too strange or she had not correctly understood what we were asking. I suspect it might be much the same thing. I've found what works best is just makign fun of myself, being lighthearted, easy going, and using my hands as much as possible! She also loves shopping, music, travelling, and reading books, although no martial arts. I think if your student is keen, go for outdoors! what an awesome experiance that would be for her. Just remember to go slow and have fun!
good luck
Aqua

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Definately this is very nice what you are doing for her.
It definately helps anyone in a foreign country to have
someone to bond with and enjoy some activities with.
Your area sounds beautiful and the Japanese I know love
the outdoors so I would definately show her some of the
wonderful outdoor stuff that you have to offer. Good
luck and have fun!

Brian R. VanCise
www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com

 

[arnisador]

Keep talking (slowly). It's what she needs. She'll get it!