People that were moving out on Sunday had to check out by 10 a.m., which was aggravating because my meeting wasn’t until 1 p.m. However, sitting in the lounge with Cailyn waiting for some time to pass, I found out that one of our other friends had to wait until 4. After that, I didn’t complain anymore. Watching everyone bring their luggage into the lobby and it collecting into a fortress around the checkout committee, I decided that I brought WAY too much with me. I hoped I wouldn’t have to drag it all on the bus to my new home.
We finally left for campus, all the way talking about how nervous we were and reassuring each other, even going over our host family’s details for the umpteenth time for the week. (Mine was a mother and her daughter, who was just a few years older than me, and a cat living outside.) I made sure to enjoy walking through the little residential area, passing the little shrine park with kids swinging and the puppy swine flu prevention poster, since I knew I probably wouldn’t be passing through again.
Time for the meeting rolled around. I went upstairs and was ushered into the large classroom, and there sitting at one of the tables was my new Okaa-san, Enoki Junko. I sat down with the helpers from the CIE (Center for International Education) office and we went over the homestay agreement/contract together. The contract itself was fine, nothing I hadn’t been expecting (another friend has to wear her hair up in a ponytail whenever she’s in the house…) but Okaa-san was speaking REALLY fast. Surely it was just because she was speaking with the Japanese CIE workers. One of them looked over me and smiled.
“You’re probably really nervous, right?”
I had been fairly calm until this point, but nervousness hit me like a wave. So far, I couldn’t understand a word of what my host mom had said. I would be living with her for the next three months, and if I couldn’t understand her, it would be impossible. I managed a nod and a soft “Daijoubu.” (I’m ok.) Okaa-san smiled and said in her rapid Japanese: Don’t worry, I’m your Okaa-san.
Shortly after, I found out we were taking a taxi from the campus to get my luggage and bring it home, and even better – the University was paying for it. I felt relieved.
The taxi ride was quiet. I think Okaa-san had figured out that I didn’t know quite as much Japanese as she thought I would. I was wondering if I’d be able to last a week… but I was determined to. Surely, I would come to understand more and more.
We pulled up to an apartment complex, and entered one on the first floor, Okaa-san dragging my larger bag behind her, much to my protest. She pulled open the first door to the right. It was my new room! It was a lot bigger than I had expected. And there was a bed! I actually really enjoyed the futon during Orientation week, so I was surprised to see a bed. It’s comfortable too, though.
I went out into the kitchen and, after having a glass of green tea, made a call to my parents to let them know I was ok. At this point, I was more than a little homesick. But I knew I’d be ok. I was determined.
School started that Tuesday, and time since has flown by. I have come to understand Okaa-san a little more, and I found out that she speaks Osaka-ben. In other words, she has a strong “Osakan” accent, which, unfortunately, seems to have blending words together as one of its traits. In Japan, accents aren’t like what we’d think in English. They actually use different words for things. For example, “arigatou” is thank you in Japanese, but in Osaka they usually say “Ooki-ni.”
Every morning I wake up and Okaa-san fixes me a large breakfast, usually a small salad, a fried egg and a piece of toast. Sliced bread is HUGE here. Cailyn told me she bought the thickest kind and cut it in half width-wise to make a sandwich. Then I leave for school, taking a bus to Hirakata City Station and catching another to school, then returning some time before dinner, which Okaa-san and I eat together and chat about our days, me stumbling, of course. Everything she makes is delicious! I always look forward to eating with her.
Sometimes I ask her questions about my homework, so she reads through the Japanese part of my textbook and always starts laughing at the awkward phrasing and telling me that even her daughter doesn’t write the kanji I’m learning. My host sister works at night and comes home about 6:30 a.m. and goes to bed, so I hardly ever see her. She tries to speak English with me when I do see her, which makes me happy.
Thankfully, I’ve gotten past my initial freaking-out stage of this homestay. I was extremely worried for the first few days, especially since most of my friends were speaking at least a little English in their homes. But I’ve decided this is for the best, and maybe my language skills will grow even stronger because of it. Sometimes I still get a bit frustrated at the gap between our communication skills, but we’ve had our bonding moments too, like watching Doraemon together on Friday nights and a few cooking shows, not to mention an almost three-hour excursion to the home center to get cat food and flowers. (We had bad timing with the buses that day.)
I’m really looking forward to these next couple of months with Okaa-san. She worries about me just about as much as my own mom, which is a reassuring thing when you’re halfway around the world from your family.
Well, I don't think anybody knows what to expect on move-in day, but I think it's not so bad that you can't really speak English in the homestay. Although, a denshi jisho might be prudent, if you don't have one yet. I think they're worth it, anyway, for convenience.
ReplyDeleteA couple of things I noticed:
1) the extension cord
2) the black Soft Bank (pre-paid?) phone
3) the A/C remote