New Challenges!

This time, a mother and her 12-year-old son came from Taiwan for a week. Apparently, it's a graduation gift for her son, who loves Japan. We also got to experience something new this time. Every time we have guests, they bring new challenges, and we're excited about it!

The challenge this time was communicating through a translation app. The son understands some English, but the mother mainly speaks Chinese and doesn't understand much Japanese or English. We, of course, don't understand Chinese at all, so we had no way to confirm that everything was going well throughout the day without the app.

Since we hadn't had the opportunity to use the app in the past, we weren't accustomed to communicating through it. However, once we tried it, we found it incredibly convenient! We were surprised at its accuracy. Thank you, Google! 

I think it takes a lot of courage to stay in a stranger's house without understanding the language. Although we had an online meeting beforehand, I truly admire their courage! 

Now, regarding the homestay itself, to put it simply, it was so much fun! It was a true breaking of the language barrier! We did so many things together.

The day after their arrival, we had a meal together at a Taiwanese restaurant. At the restaurant, they also enjoyed conversing with the staff in Chinese. Then we experienced spinning thread at a Tamba cotton lab. Afterward, we were supposed to return home, but the mother's iPhone screen broke😭, so we drove around looking for a repair shop. After some dramas, we arrived at a repair shop. It turned out not only the screen but also the camera was partially broken, so she had an unexpected expense, but everything was fixed, which was a relief.

However, the next morning, the mother found that some functions of the phone wasn't working, so the mother and son set out on an adventure back to the shop by train and bus. They also needed some quality time together. Afterall, this is a graduation gift trip for her son. They successfully finished the repairs (communicating in Japanese through the app!) and enjoyed shopping before returning home.

The following day, they joined the English class at the elementary school where I work as an assistant English teacher once a week. The classes were for fifth and sixth graders. The 6th graders introduced Japanese toys, and the 5th graders played an English game called "Survival Game" and enjoyed souvenirs our guests brought from Taiwan. After class, we went shopping and bought fireworks. That night, we invited a 4-year-old boy from the neighborhood and his mother to enjoy the fireworks together, introducing them to the Japanese culture of sparklers called "Senko Hanabi".

We learned to cook simple Taiwanese home dishes and also went fishing as requested by the son. We visited a neighbor to see their rhinoceros beetles, and enjoyed a lively conversations about the small two-seater car that the neighbor has. The neighbors enjoyed conversing with the mother through the app, and we all shared many laughs.
When the mother and son went for a walk on another occasion, they returned happily saying that the villagers waved and greeted them. It made me really happy to see how warmly the community welcomed them.

The pottery experience and painting at the pottery center were wonderful as well. The instructors in the room were very attentive and provided detailed guidance in Japanese. Each of these experiences reinforced my belief that if there is a desire to communicate, we can overcome language barriers. Interacting with the friendly and kind people of Sasayama is a precious experience that you will remember for a long time as a fond memory🥰

They will continue their adventure till mid July. 
Have a great time while your stay in Japan! We love you!😍