Exchange Life

Hey Guys!

So hopefully...well some of you read this so I don't feel like a complete loser. You know, writing to myself. (I already have to talk to myself) Haha. I'm kidding! No seriously.

I know everyone is worried about my mental/physical well-being. Thanks! I feel loved! I love you too, but seriously, I'm doing alright. I'm pretty sure I just look tired because I'm a lot paler. I've been avoiding the soap, so it's probably the lack of sunshine. I bet vampires could live here. ;) Well...I might be a little tired. The beds are kind of like sleeping on a wooden chair. Maybe I'll buy sleeping pills. Haha. But...probably not. I won't become a pill popper.

With that said, I'll go for the happy, "what I love/what I'm doing" deal. :D It's the best part.

So my new family....errr...it always takes me at least 2 weeks to figure out the family name...so at a later date, anyway, my new family lives in Sannohe, Aomori. Which is a town in the middle of the mountains. It's about an hour and a half from Hachinohe (the city). Right now we have about 2 feet of snow and it's still going! I can't believe it. It's intense.

My host dad is an elementary school teacher. He speaks some English and is trying to learn. So, he brings me the little kid homework for me to study, then asks me to translate his sentences to English so he and I can both learn at the same time. It's great. I've learned quite a bit in 3 days. My host mom is also an elementary school teacher, but only part time. She also teaches piano. I'm going to start learning! I wanted to before, so now I get free lessons. Yay! My host parents lived in Holland for 3 years, so the know about coffee, bread, and are interested in other cultures. It's refreshing. They still keep Japanese culture though, so it's not like they ditched it. My host sister Sakino is my favorite. She's sarcastic and doesn't squeal and act like she's 5. It's super cute here for girls to act like that? I don't know. It's like hyper, but in an even more immature way than Americans. It's like...Jessie. Sakino likes music and reads magazines or just talks to me. So compared to my last host sister, it seems like she actually enjoys having me around. ( I love you Jess!) My host brother, Hayato is loud and hyper. I've never had a little brother, but I think you could compare him to Jake. Jake without chickens. :) They are just a cool family. Plus, they make me do chores so I actually feel like part of the family.

Alright, so I kind of bashed my other host family. And you might think I didn't like them, but that's not really it. My first family, The Yokomachi family was great! Minami, my host sister, who is currently at university gave me advice and helped me learn some basics to start of language. My host dad was extrememly loud, funny, and kind of abnormal for a Japanese businessman. (Everyone says that about him) My host mom was funny and really kind. We did a lot together. They took me to see castles, shrines, and parades. I was only with them for a month, but I still feel like part of that family. Ryousuke, my host brother wants to major in English, so he would always talk to me when he could, but he was busy with tennis and studying mostly. He went to the best high school and was like....a tennis champion? I didn't quite understand. But I still talk to the Yokomachi family. I love them! (Not like you guys of course.)

My second host family was the Takahashi family. My host parents didn't speak English and were working mostly. My dad....maybe fished or did something with....fishing boots. Haha. I don't know!!! They never really told me. My mom had a part time job selling furniture. She made me breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They were both kind, generous, and I liked them a lot, but I didn't feel as connected. Language can do that. Mizuho is in my class. She was an exchange student in America, but she was really unsympathetic. She got annoyed and didn't really talk to me. But at times she was really funny and nice, but only if she felt like it. I guess that happens. Oh well. Sachiyo was in Jr. high, so she had to study all the time for the big entrance exam to get into high school. She wanted to get into the same one as my first host brother, but I guess it's really hard. And Honoka...she was the youngest. I spent most of my time with her. yeah, my best friend was a 7 year old. Haha. But she would talk to me, and I could sort of start understanding things towards the end. I felt closest to my host mom and Honoka, who were the only ones there when I left. Haha. Ah, still sounds negative. We went shopping, but mostly they introduced me to a lot of traditional Japanese food like, raw squid, sukiyaki, octopus, Japanese radish, and Japanese sweet potatoes. Probably a bunch more, but those stood out the most. Fish guts! It looks like a brain the size of a bouncy ball. :D But it doesn't taste. I also gained a love for tofu.

So that sums up host families. Though, I could probably write novel about both, I just don't think anyone has time for that. :)

Alright, so for now that's it!!! I'll write more soon...ish.

Love you guys,

xoxoxo
Sara

P.S. Snowmen here are only made of two parts! You know, short. Haha. Ah, that's bad. Kidding! But seriously.