i am going to university soon and i would like to know if it would be better for me to stay in a hostel or with a british family? (going to study in uk)
has anyone of you experience staying with a host family and how was is like?
other than the cost difference, homestay being cheaper, what other pros and cons of homestay and hostel?
I rather stay in a hostel and have no one mind my business
I am writing an letter of introduction to my Japanese host family and am not sure whether to include a line about helping with chores. I read in the homestay information that Japanese moms take pride in housework and may be offended if you try to help. Is this true? That just seems very strange to me and I would like to help if possible. It is only the mother, grandparents, and no father and she is a homemaker. Should I mention in the letter that I would like to help with chores? I just don’t want to offend anyone. Thanks!
It depends on each person. There is no single answer. It’s not bad to offer it anyway.
I am hoping to do a homestay in Tokyo japan next year but I want to know about someones experience because i haven’t done anything like this before. I am 16 so the host family will be putting me in a high school, if someone else has done this what was it like. Also will two weeks be long enough to get the full experience? And I am black British so I heard that I would be met with curiosity about my skin tone.
I actually did a homestay program in Naka-shi, Japan, last summer! It was one of the best trips I’d ever taken. I learned a lot about their culture, which is saying a lot because I actually am Japanese and was born there. As to what you’ll be expecting, it will depend on the family. They say Asian families are strict, but my homestay family was way more lenient and laid back than my family here. However, all ten of us that did the program all agreed that the families were extremely nice and considerate, and most of us were told to call the mother and father "Mom" and "Dad".
I think two weeks is good enough to get the experience as well as any foreigner could. We only got one week, but that was enough time to get used the family’s regular schedules and to get to know how their family worked. And seeing as all of us cried when we had to go back, it was definitely enough time to get to know and to start caring about each other.
As long as you’re in Tokyo, I don’t think you’ll get that many stares for your skin tone. After all, it is a city of tourist attractions. I actually saw about a dozen black men working in stores in Harajuku.
The homestay host couple was okay at first. However, the female host of the house turned out to be a cheap, lying, and rude person later on (by not buying us food and say multiple times she "cannot find lettuce at Sobey’s" for instance). She also pretended to respect my privacy but in fact went into my room multiple times without telling me. When I confronted her, she said that it’s her house and she didn’t need my persmission. That’s fine, but why pretend in the beginning anyway? ugh. Threre’re countless other incidents where she lied through her teeth thinking we wouldn’t know but we do.
The worst part was that she denied my receipt when I wanted one. The cost was $800 CAD per month — by no means cheap considering she doesn’t buy us food (or buy rotten apples to save money). Now she doesn’t give me receipt, I can’t even declare tax on this? I’m pretty sure she’s trying to save herself some tax money by doing this.
What can I do to deal with this obnoxious situation?
Thanks
Please provide useful and insightful answers (instead of rudimentary answers so you can get points). I’m wondering specifically what can I do regarding the tax situation for declaring income tax. And also, report to whom? Really, first answerer, your answer was completely useless.
report it so other will not get the same
Hello everyone,
I have a question regarding Canadian income tax.
What if the homestay host family refuses to give you receipt and forces you to pay cash each month (or they’re going to raise the price)? And you are not happy with it? Can you report this?
I’v been living there for 4 months now, paying $750 per month in cash. If not paid in cash, they’ll charge $1000 per month instead….
Lily
What’s "homestay"? Do you mean "rent"?
And for what purpose do you need the receipt? Income tax? If so, what province?
I’m 17 right now, and I plan to go to a homestay in Canada soon.
But I was wondering what procedures need to be done before getting there?
Like, do you need to get your parents to sign anything? Btw, this isn’t a school homestay program, it’s just a normal homestay hosted by other people.
Also, when I go into homestay, does that mean my homestay parents will be my legal gaurdian?
Please help 
I am planning to stay there for longer than 6 months and I am a citizen… Is it different if I’m staying longer than that?
And also, how do I notarize a letter of permission? I just googled it and was wondering if it has to be signed in front of lawyer.
Thanks so much for the help btw.
How long are you planning to stay?
If it is less than six months and you are an American citizen, you just need a passport and signed, notarised letter of permission from your parents. Homestay hosts are not guardians.
If this is someone you have only met online, be very, very careful.
Edit: for more than six months you need a visa.
Your parents sign the letter of consent in front of a lawyer or notary who stamps it as genuine.
Hi! My Japanese isn’t great and i’m trying to write a letter for my future host family to read when selecting me as their exchange student… Is what i’ve written appropriate for this? Does it make sense? Do you have any suggestions regarding what I should write in Japanese? Thanks so much for your help!!!
Here’s my letter so far;
ホストファミリーへ、
はじめまして！
僕の名前はマックスです。オーストラリアのシドニーに住んでいます。僕の家族は四人です。僕は日本が大好きです。日本の慣習や教養やたべものが大好きです。今、僕の日本語は下手ですが、ホームステイのそうなる前にたくさん日本語をべんきょうします。
僕の一番すき科目は英語とコンピューターと日本語です。
僕は日本へ行ったことがあります。東京と京都へ行きました。僕は日本人友だちがあります。
皆さんにお会いできることを楽しみにしています. そしてお宅に泊めていただけることを感謝しています. 僕のホームステイーにとても興奮しています。
マックスより
hmmm.. yahoo answers seems to have shortened it for some reason.. here’s the whole thing;
ホストファミリーへ、
はじめまして！
僕の名前はマックスです。オーストラリアのシドニーに住んでいます。
僕の家族は四人です。僕は日本が大好きです。
日本の慣習や教養やたべものが大好きです。
今、僕の日本語は下手ですが、
ホームステイのそうなる前にたくさん日本語をべんきょうします。
僕の一番すき科目は英語とコンピューターと日本語です。
僕は日本へ行ったことがあります。東京と京都へ行きました。
僕は日本人友だちがあります。
皆さんにお会いできることを楽しみにしています.
そしてお宅に泊めていただけることを感謝しています.
僕のホームステイーにとても興奮しています。
マックスより
It makes sense but some things…
日本の慣習や教養やたべものが大好きです。 You could also say 日本の慣習や教養やたべものに興味があります。
ホームステイのそうなる前にたくさん日本語をべんきょうします。 Sounds weird. Instead of ホームステイのそうなる前に you could say ホームステイする前に
僕の一番すき科目は英語とコンピューターと日本語です。 You need na after suki. Also it’s weird to say ichiban then give a bunch of things so I took it out: 僕のすきな科目は英語とコンピューターと日本語です。
僕は日本人友だちがあります。 Put no after nihonjin. + It should be imasu, not arimasu.
僕のホームステイーにとても興奮しています。 koufun is weird… I would just say 僕はホームステイをとても楽しみにしています。
A native speaker will probably have a better answer than me…
Hello.
i’m doing a uni exchange program to Tokyo next year (i’ll be there for 1 semester) and i’m thinking of staying with a homestay family. i’ve ask some ppl who’ve stayed in homestay before but some said it’s good and some said u should NEVER stay at homestay….
so i’d like to hear from more ppl.
So, is your host family friendly? do they treat u the same as they treat their family member?or kind of exclude u from family member? are they helpful?
how long is your stay? whereabout do u stay? how’s u’r room? and how much do u pay /month?
thnx for answering a bunch of Qs (>.<)
I LOVE JAPAN
I am 19 and am looking for a a program in Italy next summer. I would like to live with a host family and possiblytake a class with kids my own age. Are there any good programs you could recommend?
Visit http://www.linktodiversity.com where you can find a program that will interest you. Florence, Rome, Milan are some of the destinations. Hopefully you will find it a helpful resource.
Okay, I go to a SUNY school, and next year I plan on doing a semester abroad in Spain. I’m not yet sure which city I want to go to, seeing as I’ve been looking for places that put you with host families. Unfortunately, there aren’t very many, so my options are few. I wanted to go to Madrid, but my adviser told me that the Madrid program through Albany was very weak, and my Spanish is already pretty strong as a Sophomore. So, I just wanted to know if you all think it would be better to try out a stay in an apartment or in a dorm on campus. I really wanted to stay with a family, but maybe other people’s experiences will turn me in the other direction. I suppose living with a roommate from Spain would suffice, but what would you suggest? Thanks!
Also, if you’ve studied in Spain, what city would you recommend? I visited last year, and LOVED Granada, but that’s not an option. Sevilla was great, too, but there’s no option for a homestay. Give me some advice, peeps!
I think that staying in an apt or dorm is better than with a family. You have to go by the family’s rules and stuff and you never know how strict they can be. I know some friends who just went to Spain this summer and absolutely loved it. They stayed in Madrid for a little then went to a few other cities to study. I’m not too sure of the names of the places but they stayed in apartments and loved it. Good luck!