Cultural Exchange to Japan - June 2004

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It was the first time I ever went for a home stay in a foreign land. Prior to departure, I was very excited in the midst of all the preparations. But I have to admit that apprehension did creep into my mind once in a while, naturally. One fine day, I received an email from my host mother. For the subsequent days prior to my departure, we communicated and I gained a rough idea of how the family’s like. She sounded very warm and friendly (She is, indeed!) That dwindled my anxiety considerably.

I stayed with a family of 6, consisting of 3 lovely children, Tiga-chan, Yusuke-chan and Rina-chan and their fantastic parents, as well as a dog, named Ren, who is adored and loved by all of them. They dwelled in a pleasant town, Settsu in Kansai region. 4 other ambassadors resided in the vicinity and for that reason; we spent a lot of time together.

On the 2^nd day, we headed for Settsu Women’s centre in the neighborhood. An array of activities awaited us! To start off, we wore yukata (summer kimono) and learnt sado (tea-making and appreciation). My host mother, Yuuko-san even took a video for me, which I have been watching repeatedly since I returned to Singapore. Thank you so much Yuuko-san! Next on the list was okinomiyaki making with various representatives from the Settsu Association of International exchange, as well as a handsome young man from a local university, majoring in Spanish. Not only did we learn how to make authentic okinomiyaki, we also benefited from the valuable interaction during the process. We also had an exchange party during which we met some university students, high school students and their teachers from a neighboring school. We started with a sharing session about our countries and ambitions and it led into a thrilling discussion of Japanese and Korean celebrities!

For the subsequent days, our day hosts hosted us. They were university students of our age and thus we clicked very well. We toured shopping districts, savored delicious Japanese food and had loads of fun together, playing billiard, volleyball and taking neoprints! At Nara, we were introduced to a student of Nara Women’s University. She is a Vietnamese studying in Japan. Together, we toured the Nara park where the deers (and there were no antelopes) played…. We had lunch at her university. The food was delectable and inexpensive. Following that, we toured their library. The campus, like Nara, was tranquil and peaceful; we were even told not to speak loudly as we walked! Such conducive environment!

Back home, I was pampered with tasty tempura, soba, ocha, yogurt, toast, ebi cracker…endless to be listed!! Yuuko-san and her friends are fantastic cooks! Besides the food, I enjoyed myself as I played with the children, walked Ren with Rina-chan, read books with Tiga-chan, and passed silent gestures with shy Ysuke-chan. I took pleasure in my chats with my host mother and father, Kazuya-san. J Despite the language barrier, we interacted with the aid of dictionaries and body languages. Indeed, that’s friendship beyond boundaries!

Rina’s 10^th birthday happened to fall during our stay there and a party was held for celebration. The night was filled with exuberance! The appetizer was a sumptuous dinner with my host family and her neighbors. Over dinner, there were plentiful interactions as our topics ranged from food in Singapore to Japanese Singers. The main course was cutting of birthday cakes. Yes, note the “s”! There were 2 cakes, decorated by Rina and her best friend, Aki. I was amazed! They were so professionally decorated! The dessert of the celebration was hanabi (fire sparklers). We discovered that there were so many different kinds of hanabi. From the normal one we get in Singapore to the cute little ones that will grow into dazzling ball. We had so much fun together. Most importantly, the birthday girl was contented and blessed with our well wishes.

And the list goes on ……….

I was very touched by Yuuko-san’s thoughtfulness as she prepared iced ocha for me whenever I go on excursions. I am grateful to my hosts’ family and friends’ warm hospitality. I appreciate the chance that FNN has given me to go on such an interesting and fulfilling cultural exchange trip!

It is clichéd, but true that we learnt and experienced Japanese culture and their way of life. Not only did we learn about them, we also discovered a lot about our identity and ourselves as Singaporeans. The home stay was, honestly, short. But certainly, it made a fabulous chapter of my life. I wished this chapter to be longer. However, I am contented. Because it dawned on me that the memories, the lessons learnt, the fun we had, as well as the friendships built…will stay with me forever. Oh yes, even the taste of delicious tempuras lingers…

In friendship,
Esther Wong
July 2004