When planning out my study abroad experience, the one question I would constantly be stuck on was, “Should I live with a homestay family or live in the apartment option that IES Santiago offered?” For some background context, at Hope residential life was a huge part of my experience and time while I was there. …
Tag Archives: Host family
A Month in Tanohata
The last month has changed me to my very core. Life in the countryside of Japan is completely different than life in Tokyo. My program (Japan Study through Earlham) requires that year-long students go on a “cultural internship” to a more rural setting in Japan for a month. I decided to go to Tanohata, a …
Christmas in Japan
It has been awhile since my last post, but the adventures keep on coming! It is already halfway through January, but Christmas in Japan has left quite an impression on me. While Christmas is a big deal in the United States, in Japan it’s a much more (extremely) commercial, just-for-fun kind of holiday. Class is …
Living with a Host Parent
One of the best components of my study abroad program was living with a host parent. I am super blessed to have had the opportunity to meet and live with my host mom. She is energetic, personable, and extremely kind. She was interested in me and my life, and she even opened up her home …
紅葉 (Kouyou)
One thing that is interesting (and convenient) about the Japanese language, is that there are words for very specific things. For example, 木漏れ日 komorebi, which means “The sunlight that filters through the trees”, or 積ん読 tsundoku, which means “buying books and not reading them.” Things that take a whole sentence to explain in English, becomes …
Host Family
I have begun to find a rhythm for my daily life here in Japan. I have found ways to make my commute a bit more comfortable (the trains get very busy here), to get involved in my interests, and have settled in with my host family. Having a host family was one of the things …
“Dada, Chai!”
“Dada, Chai!” I hear my Mama call as I open my eyes. “Baba! Mama! Dada!” My baby host brother is yelling from outside of my bedroom window, which is obviously code for, “Dada, time to wake up, come play!” My family calls me “Dada,” (sister) because my name is very hard to pronounce for most …
Mi Familia Anfitriona (Host Family)
When looking at the various options for study abroad, I always knew I wanted to do a homestay. However, I did not realize how pivotal this decision would be until actually being 10,000 miles from my own home and family! Here’s a little look into my homestay in Santiago, Chile. Mi mamá lives in an …
First Impressions
The altitude takes some getting used to, but the view is phenomenal! This season is the rainy season in Quito, so it’s been mostly cloudy (Quito has two seasons: dry and rainy). However, when the sun comes up it gets HOT! I made sure to pack some SPF 50 sunscreen bottles to protect my skin. …
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