What was the reason for using Familyinn?
The University I was studying as an exchange student for half a year was in Fukui. The most reason why I used familyinn, I wanted to obtain more opportunities to speak English after My study abroad was over. I was taking a class with other exchange students together, and also I didn’t have that much opportunity to communicate with Japanese through staying at the dormitory. Another reason I decided to make the last memory of My study abroad experience by using Familyinn, because I’ve been wanted to go through living life in a normally Japanese house, and I really love nature since I was little.
Did you have any concerns or worries before your homestay?
My biggest concern was whether I could communicate in Japanese properly. However, I was able to communicate with the host family in advance by using zoom, so I wasn’t nervous when I met them in person.
What did you do during your stay and what was your impression of the host family and the local area?
There was a small field in front of My homestay’s house, and I used a sickle to mow the grass to grow new crops taking in natural farming methods. The first-time farm work was so much fun! Also, I made a miso soup with the Danish and Japanese who were staying together. And I made dumplings with friends of the host family as well. My host family could speak English, but they understood that I wanted to practice Japanese, so they facilitated topics and spoke to me in Japanese. They also patiently explained when I couldn’t understand Japanese. They taught me a lot about the charm of Fukui and even if they moved to Fukui but took me to secluded regions that I don’t usually visit. So I learned more about Fukui and fell in love with it even more. The host family’s kids are so energetic and cute, invited me to play the game together, came into my room, and said ‘good night’ sometimes, I received enormous happiness and positive energy from them. There are spectacular fields and mountains around the house, I could experience different scenery from Taiwan I’m living in. As a nature lover, I found so much happiness every day when I woke up.
Please tell me something that is your favorite or has left an impression on you.
One of my unforgettable memories was a party held outside of the house, we brought each member’s own country’s cuisine. Each of us made our food in the kitchen and ate it together in the garden. I served bubble tea as a representative of Taiwan. That was an amazing memory I was able to enjoy the cuisine of other countries such as France, Mexico, and Japan. And I could encounter a lot of friends at the same time.
Did you achieve your goals for the stay?
Yes, absolutely. It differed from studying abroad, I could have a lot of opportunities to speak Japanese all day long so that I felt great growth in my Japanese throughout the day. I felt so nice for the first time living surrounded by beautiful nature in Japan. Every day was so much fun so that I hardly pictured something hardships.
Please share your thoughts and feedback with us!
Through this experience, I learned human connection is so important. I had a wonderful experience beyond the language. I highly recommend people who use Familyinn to speak positively and don’t be afraid of making mistakes.
Since back then, I tend to forget to slow down my steps to pay attention to the beautiful things around me, and I didn’t have many opportunities to enjoy simply talking to people or spending my life seriously. However, through this experience, I could learn how precious human connections are and see different lifestyles. In here, greeting passionately as if they were stranger neighborhoods. The people I met were very thoughtful and try to understand other people despite having different growth backgrounds and using different languages. There isn’t convenient transportation like the city, but you can take in everything you experience with a Slow Space instead. With less outside interference, you can focus more on each other’s conversations and learn different new perspectives on life. This kind of emotional communication was so valuable for me, and for those who want to experience the Japanese rural family lifestyle, I recommend having an interest actively in your host family and other people. If you are a foreigner same as me, you can communicate by using your body and facial expressions, these are simple and direct so that able to avoid not speaking anything by being afraid of making language mistakes. I am very grateful to all the people I met during this period and their passion, kindness as well. I was able to spend an amazingly memorable nine days.