This is my first time to accept a homestay. What should I be aware of?

Here’s the English translation of the sentence “ホームステイ受け入れが初めてです。気をつけるべき点は？” using a translation tool.If the host has to put up with a lot of things, it won’t last. But we also want our homestay guests to feel good about their stay. It’s all about what makes a good relationship work for each other. So here you go.

（これは『ホームステイ受け入れが初めてです。気をつけるべき点は？』という文を翻訳ツールを使って英訳したものです。
もしホームステイ受け入れを始めても、ホストが我慢しなければならないことが多ければ続きません。でもホームステイの人にも気持ちよく過ごしてもらいたいですよね。お互いにとって良い関係を築くためのポイントがかかれています。それではどうぞ。）

↓↓↓

This is the first time I’ve been accepted by a homestay. What should I watch out for?

Accepting a homestay student for the first time can be intimidating. I wonder what kind of people will come? What will life be like? Let’s hope there’s no trouble.

I think it’s a mixture of excitement and anxiety. So, here are the first three things that your host family should be aware of when accepting your first homestay.

No. 1. Protect your lifestyle.

This is very important. I don’t want to sound bossy, but if you’re new to host families, be sure to remember that it won’t be on the test!

When you accept a homestay for the first time, the service spirit of Japanese people explodes, and you try your best to do everything you can to make your child’s life better.

But this is exhausting. It’s really exhausting. We tend to have too many conversations to accommodate the other person, going to bed later than usual, neglecting to have time for ourselves, or changing the time we take a bath to accommodate the other person.

Initially, I’ve been doing the homestay program with half interest and a sense of excitement, but when I’m adjusting to the homestay child beyond my own life, I’m like, “Oh! I’m sure there are times when you feel that this is hard work, that you’re going to get tired, or that you’re going to quit if it’s this hard.

So, I know that there are definitely parts of you that may be overwhelmed at first, but please make sure that you are aware of the importance of protecting your lifestyle and life cycle. This will allow us to continue to host our students in good conditions for many years to come.

A decrease in the number of host families will lead to a loss of opportunities for prospective homestay students. And that’s not where Hospa wants to be. It’s probably a negative for Japan too.

If you are interested in starting a host family, don’t be discouraged at the beginning so that we can increase the number of better host families in Japan and give the homestay kids who come all the way to Japan an invaluable experience.

Don’t judge the other party by Japanese common sense.

Homestay students who come to Japan are, of course, foreigners. Not in a bad way, but they’re like aliens in the same human form in the beginning. (If you’re in a relationship, you’ll find out later that you’re not, but that’s about it in the beginning.)

Foreigners have a culture and common sense that is different from the common sense in Japan. If you’ve interacted with foreign nationals from different cultures and have experience and tolerance in yourself, you’ll be like, “I get it! I think you’ll understand that it’s a good idea.

Really? It’s actually quite okay! That’s normal. If you think, “Well, that’s just the way it is” (laughs), you must have already gone through a lot of experiences, accumulated experiences, and improved your level to become an earthling.

On the contrary, age = years of living in Japan, she has never traveled abroad since she was born! For those who have never interacted with a Japanese person before, it’s a matter of course. If you’re a homestay student, you’ll be shocked by the cultural differences between the two families!　　This is an experience that you can’t usually get unless you go abroad, but to be able to experience it in Japan is a wonderful thing!

For homestay students, there are some things that are quite different from common sense in Japan, such as what to wear, what to eat, daily life, and customs. Then, “This is crazy! That’s weird! Why did he do it? You can learn about the cultural differences between Japanese and homestay students by thinking and listening to them and getting to know them.

You have to experience it and say, “Your way of doing things is crazy, so do this! Instead of denying the other person’s opinion, you can teach them that this may be the way of doing things in your culture, but this is the way of doing things in Japan, so that the homestay child can learn about Japanese culture and ways of doing things. This is also important. Please teach them not only “Japanese language” but also “Japanese lifestyle, culture and ways of doing things in Japan”.

The “common sense” that you have as you read this is pretty much your own “common sense”, and there are things that are different from the common sense of other people in different places, different ages, and different genders. So, if you are aware of this point and build a relationship with your homestay student, you can evolve into a neo international person and a neo global person as well!

Make the house rules in advance and explain them properly.

Homestay students don’t dare to break the rules. It’s just that sometimes what they think is the normal way of doing things is different from the normal way of the host family. And it looks “funny” or “weird” in the eyes of the host family. There is a sense of discomfort.

To ensure that you can live under the same roof as your homestay child without any conflicts or friction and with a smile on your face, it is a good idea to create a bulleted “house rule” that outlines the rules of life for your host family.

We just need to look at our lifestyle, think about the things we want our homestay kids to do and not do, and the reasons why they should do them, and write them down.

By showing and explaining this to your homestay student, it will make your daily life much easier. (I hope to be able to give you an example of the house rules we are currently using in the future. (By the way, we have a Japanese version plus an English version to help you understand it better.

This is a list of things you should be aware of when accepting a homestay for the first time. This is only what Hospa can think of at the moment. If this website has been helpful to you and you have had a real experience, please try to provide positive information in your own words to others. That should create a better flow!

Also, please share some useful information with me.

We study every day, train every day, and grow every day.

Hospa