GUESTS
Guest Intro

As for the homestay itself, honestly, it was the number one thing at the very top of my list of worries. Often, I had heard that homestays "weren't good", but despite this my own experience turned out to be amazing time for me. My host family took me to Venice Beach, their church, and even invited me to celebrate the 4th of July with them! There were also times were I borrowed the kitchen to make Japanese food, and my host family was very kind in this regard. However, my host mother's cooking was delicious, and often she taught me the recipes to her best dishes.

The main thing I learned from my homestay is that it is super important for me to be enthusiastic and find the courage within me to start communicating with those around me. At first, I was nervous speaking English, with so many questions coming at me from everywhere at once ("Where do you want to go? What do you want to do? What should we do today?") but since my host family had often hosted international students in the past, they understood me pretty well. I never was alone in myself, worrying about my situation, but rather I was often in the living room with my host family watching TV, eating dinner, and just making many good memories while spending time together. After a short time, all my anxiety and embarrassment about my English ability disappeared.

My original plan was to only stay for one month, but I had become so close to and came to love my host family so much that I extended my stay to three months! I am so thankful to have been introduced to such an amazing host family, and therefore able to have an unforgettable and fantastic study abroad experience.
Thank you so much!

Margo seems to be strict at first glance, but she is a very kind person.
When I was bitten by a dog, she taught me various ways to respond to emergencies. She is invaluable in her wisdom of life, such as car insurance and how to find an apartment, which only Americans can understand.
Even so, my host mother is also an immigrant, so she understood the feelings of international students.

In the future, my family will come from Japan, so I will move to an apartment, but if I am alone, I would like to live forever.
Students living together have been living for more than a year, so it seems that those who live here are comfortable and stay for a long time.
Next time, I plan to make takoyaki and serve it. I heard that I can't eat octopus, so I don't have octopus.

From the very first day, my host family enthusiastically reached out to me, and I felt we were able to become close and get along quickly.
No matter how　tired they were from work, they always welcomed me warmly into their home, and for that I am very grateful.
Sightseeing through Los Angeles was fantastic, but honestly the best part of my visit was talking with my host family.