My Host Family

I've been here nearly a month and I just realized that I haven't written much about my host family. They have been amazing and I do not know I will ever be able to say goodbye to them in three weeks.

Host Mom - My host mother is definitely the person with whom I have been the closest since I got here. She has done so much with me, and has shown me all over Sendai, and has been incredibly generous in teaching and showing me all that she can about Japan. In return, she has asked everything she can think of about America. It seems like everything we come across, she asks "In America, is similar?"
Every day after school she has afternoon tea waiting for me when I get home. During this time we talk about school, she teaches me some Japanese, and I teach her some English. I am amazed at what a determined learner she is! She has improved at English so much more then I ever could have imagined possible. It's amazing.

Host Dad - I haven't had much time to spend with my host dad
as he works at the clinic all week long. The weekends we have had together though have been great. He's shown me lots around Miyagi (the area of Japan or "prefecture" that Sendai is in.) Even though his English is very limited, he likes telling me about random things such as the history of this bridge, or the origins of that festival. When he's not around he occasionally leaves small gifts, such as my favorite green-tea ice-cream, or episodes of kids' Japanese shows for me to watch.

Midori - I'm beginning to think that my host sister, Midori, is the Japanese carbon copy of myself. We share many of the same likes and interests; she also plays the piano, our fashion sense is frightfully similar (her friends teased her the other day when she introduced me because we were wearing practically the same skirt and leggings,) and she studies NON-STOP. The other day I walked past her room after she had been studying for several hours, and saw that she'd fallen asleep at her desk. It's amazing how dedicated Japanese students are.
In just a few weeks, Midori leaves to study abroad in America for an entire year. When she's not studying, she asks me everything there is to know about American high school. She had a lot of fun looking through my yearbook from this past year, and now is all excited for Prom (they don't have proms here.) Also, we watched "High School Musical" the other night, which made her even more excited for life in America. I felt really guilty trying to explain to her that it wasn't a very good representation of American high schools.

Ojichan and Obachan - As I mentioned before, my host grandparents (my host dad's parents) live directly next door, and join us for dinner every night. The grandma doesn't speak any English, but still enjoys talking to me in Japanese whether I understand her or not, and has the most adorable laugh. The grandpa does speak English, and he is so sweet! He is easily impressed by everything, such as my piano playing, my poor Japanese skills, and the fact that I can read and write in Japanese characters. He is also very interesting to talk to. He tells me a lot about the history of Japan, and frequently mentions how sad he will be when I leave.