As my new semester begins its slow but steady beginning and I already set my sights ahead, I can’t help but briefly glance back to my first semester here in Japan.

It was rough. I was a scared little summer child that hadn’t studied a thing over her break, going to an entirely different country. I left behind all that I knew, all my friends, and thrust myself into Japanese culture and, on top of that, into the lives on a host family. It was new, unfamiliar, and absolutely terrifying. I had been dreaming of visiting Japan since middle school, and suddenly, after a year of preparation, applications, I was there. Now that it’s January, I can’t help but think i’m a little older, a little wiser, and a little bit hopeless. I couldn’t have done it without my friends, my teachers at Nanzan, and most of all, without the Tanakas.

My host family and I got on fairly well. It was me, my 25 year old host sister, and my host mother. We were all so busy that we rarely saw each other but for breakfasts and dinners, but despite that, our lifestyles clicked. They helped me when I needed it, gave me advice, and eased me into their culture. Okaasan and Shizuka took me into their homes, fed me, did my laundry, and did everything they could to help me along the way. We were a kind of family that could calmly sit and eat dinner without too much of a to-do because we were all so tired and just happy to be home, relaxing.

And then there were the dogs. Oh goodness, let me tell you about these dogs. I was raised in a home of pet fish, then eventual pet rabbits. This was the first time in my life that I spent over a week living with rowdy, noisy, playful animals. It’s been… quite an adventure, to say the least. I can firmly say that my first host family experience convinced me not to have small dogs, because while I did love them, they drove me up the wall and put into focus the amount of responsibility that they require just keeping them.

All in all, I’m glad I was placed with the Tanakas and I’m glad I got to know them. We had our difficulties and differences, but it was fun, and I couldn’t have asked for a better family to start off my first couple of months in Japan. For people torn over whether or not to dorm or host family, I will be the first to put forward the idea of living with a family. It truly is your home away from home. You are automatically living with people who care for your well-being and want to help. And I’ve learned innumerable things from them that I would not find anywhere else.

Location: Ozone, Nagoya, Japan