Youth For Understanding (YFU)?

yepunsarang
Fri, 13 Apr 2007 01:19:40 +0000

Wow Silver Jade…you have lots of questions for me. Well, i’ll ans the ones that I think are most relevant. Um…about the program, it’s really well organized because there’s a rep in every area in Japan. They always check up on you by calling your host parents. Generally, the program suggests you don’t keep a cell on you or don’t contact your parents as much because they want it to be as much of a “out of America” experience as possible. Also, Japanese culture tends to be very different from American. The expectations such as very high sincerity to elders and respect, and consideration for others besides you. Japanese also tend to be very discreet and conservative. It’s not good to be extremely loud in public, you should be cautious about yourself, and be polite. Japanese people are very polite! Sometimes, I think too polite because you might get a misunderstanding. A lot of times, it’s happened where a student would stay up in their rooms because that’s what they do generally all the time at home. But you ARE NOT AT HOME during that summer and you should be interactive. Most of these host families assume that this student either dislikes them, or is unhappy. So you have to remember to give out a happy, positive attitude (even time when you feel sluggish and unhappy). Remember that you need to show lots of respect and gratitude becaus these people are taking care of you for free! Theyr’e doing it out of their hearts.

To make your stay very enjoyable, remember to:


Step out of your own cautious self and try new things. DOn’t be afraid! Try a Japanese tea ceremony, go out with your new Japanese buddies, try speaking japanese as much as you can.
Talk to your classmates at your high school to get a better understanding of Japanese culture and share American culture with them.
Be independent and go places by yourself
Be friendly and positive about yourself and your experience. It’s normal to get homesick the first few days, but remember that this is something you shouldn’t waste. You’ll go home in time!
Don’t be embarrassed about doing things wrong or saying wrong things in Japanese. Ask for help if you need it.
Have FUN!!!


LaLa: You’re probably thinking about how bored you’ll be. Nope…that’s all false. You have tons of touring to do by the way, you have classes at your Japanese school…so that takes up a lot fo your time, you might have siblings to talk to you, play with you, etc, you might have hw to do too during the summer, you can explore the place by yourself, and there are events that are hosted in your area for YFU students that you attend. You’ll get notices about it when you’re in Japan. I for instance went to an elementary school and was part of a class for a day, I went to a Toshiba and Nissan Factory/ Showcase, there was a Talentshow, etc. Trust me…time WILL fly and you won’t want to leave.

Please ask more questions guys!!