Host Family Fun Time!

Only two more sleeps to go! ;o;

Wow, the realisation that I’m leaving so soon is still not getting through my thick skull. It’s almost like I know that I’m going off for ten months, but… it hasn’t sunk in yet. I suppose it won’t until I get on that plane. :’D

Anyway, here’s my belated Host Family Information (received on the 1^st of March):

"There are 2 people in our family. We are a small family but happy family talking a lot between the two. We often visit grand parents' house nearby and like barbecuing in the yard."

I'm really excited about meeting my first host family. Not only are they the family that will have to put up with me at my most clueless (with my constant "tourist expression" and broken, often incomprehensible Japanese) but I've had brief email contact with my host sister, Mina. When I read this:

"my mom and i will be at Utsunomiya station in 27th of March!

see u soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon <3
ルーシーに会えることを楽しみにしています(^A^)/"

... I felt all warm and fuzzy-like inside (I don't know if it's just my personal experience, but emails from Japanese girls tend to be pretty cute, and therefore come with a side effect of Extreme Happy Smile Fluffiness that cause even the most stoic people to melt inside! I dare you to look at that " (^A^)/'' " emoticon and say it doesn't warm your heart even a little!

Reading her email made me feel kind of welcomed, sort of as if I could put a name and face to the first family whose arms I would be stumbling into as soon as I got off the train at Utsunomiya Station. So I appreciated the email (thank you Mina :D)!

Kawaiiness aside, Mina mentioned that lately she and her mum are addicted to playing New Super Mario Brothers on Wii (and that her mum is "absorbed in playing it again and again" xD hahaha, go Mina's mum!) which is definitely cool, because I can see myself joining in enthusiastically until we're all eating up mushrooms, growing into giants and jumping on eachother's heads (both in-game and out-of-game, if possible!).

Apparently Mina has studied in Australia before, so her English is really good! However, I'm going to have to try and stop myself from resorting to English every time I'm in a pickle, and remind myself that I'm there in Japan to learn Japanese. I'm looking forward to speaking both English and Japanese with Mina though, because, after all, this is a reciprocal thing so the use of both languages will help the both of us improve (although I'm going to be the one who has to do most of the improving, because Mina's English = pretty awesome and my Japanese = faaail xD).

I'm looking forward to meeting the grandparents, too! Mina's family lives in Oyama City, so travel to school will take approximately one hour, and will be done, apparently, by bicycle, train and bus.

"There are four people in our family... Hikari was taken well care of by host family during her 1 year stay in Australia. Now we feel very close to the Australians and have decided to host Lucie in return for it."

Family two is a little more mysterious, but I’m looking forward to finding out more about them just as much, and really looking forward to meeting them (Hikari also goes to Utsunomiya Bunsei, so no doubt I'll meet her soon)! I can't wait to meet them either. :D

My host sister, Hikari (17) lives with her mother and father and cat (:D) in Utsunomiya. Hikari also has a 20 year old sister, Misato, who is a university student living in another prefecture. Going to school will apparently take me approximately 40 minutes and I’ll get there by train and bicycle!

"We are a cheerful family. Teruyo has gotten interested in the interaction with the exchange students at school, which led us to have decided to host Lucie. We often have chance to communicate with European people and the Chinese people and we parents would like our children to cultivate the international sensibility. We all have come to the conclusion that we try hosting an exchange student."

Host Family Number Three is gigantic (I’d like to remind you that this is coming from an only child from a small three person family!). My host sister is Teruyo (16), also a student at Utsunomiya Bunsei, who likes music (I wonder what kind?). :D She lives in Utsunomiya with her parents (who like golf), her 19 year old brother, Satoshi (who likes movies and anime… I think we’re going to get along xD), her 13 year old sister, Naruyo (who likes music, particularly saxophone… sounds sophisticated!) and little sister Hiroyo, 11 (who likes “tv games”, another thing I can relate to). A music, video-game, movie and anime loving family? I’m so there! 8D

They live only 20 minutes away from school, which I’ll get to by bicycle, which is also super-dooper!

All of my Host Families sound really interesting and kind, and I’m so grateful for them for putting themselves out to host me and be a part of what promises to be a very cultural experience! I’ll definitely do my best to not be so absent-minded, and during these next ten months, I promise I’ll keep my room SO clean that it’ll sparkle (messiness will resume only on arrival back to Australia 8D… mum, I’m just kidding… put the squeegee down). Of course, I’m really grateful to my families for agreeing to host me. <3

Also, thank you very much to the guys back here, in Australia, for surprising me on Saturday. Thank you very, very much. The photo is sitting in my room, ready to be framed, and the card is out in the display area in the main lounge room! xD I loved reading your messages, but most of all, I was SO SURPRISED TO SEE EVERYONE HIDDEN BEHIND THE CURTAIN OF DARKNESS! You guys gave me a heart attack (yep, before I go away to Japan... you kill me)! And as bemused as I looked when you threw a wedding dress at me (xD), I really enjoyed myself that night. I loved the photos, I loved the food at Fujiya, I loved the book (the ART OF TIM BURTON, MoMA EDITION?! :'D MAN, YOU GUYS GOT IT SPOT ON!!), but most of all, I loved all your company. Seeing and partying with you all before I left Australia was the best going away gift you could have given me. I know I seem kind of formal writing this, but I really appreciated it, everyone. Thank you all, really, very, very, very much! Really!
AHEM. But my overly emotional sentimental drivel doesn't belong here publicly on this blog, so I'll make sure to contact you on MSN sometime to thank you all individually, so GET ONLINE FOLKS! :D

Presents for Host Family Number One were all wrapped today! But I haven't actually packed all my stuff IN my suitcase yet. Yes, you heard me, I'm packing the day before. Oh ho ho ho, isn't tomorrow going to be a bag of laughs...

Signing off as it's late and I need to attempt to fix my horrible sleeping patterns that are all out of whack!

- Lucie