Homestay or Dorm?
Feb. 17th, 2009 03:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spiderpigI stumbled upon this blog chronicling this guy's stay in Japan as a Waseda exchange student and I'm very much stoked (even though I'm supposed to be finishing Burmese Days andLady Audley's Secret - I'm very much screwed.)
I was always kind of psyched at getting Hoshien or the International Dorm (preferably Hoshien because most of the people I know have stayed there and have an a rockin' good time) but now I'm swinging more to the side of trying a homestay. For one, it'll be easier on the wallet. The only thing I'm afraid of is of getting an overbearing family (note: my own family's pretty liberal and we can come back as late as we want provided we give a call back like say, before 9pm and we're pretty much allowed to do whatever we want - Hey mom & dad, you rock!) that has impossible curfews (e.g. 10pm) or would balk at me bringing back figures occasionally. That means, no otaku-phobic family. Haha, I think I need Murakami as my host-dad. HAHA.
But yeah, I am slightly afraid of possible screw-ups I might make. I'm not the neatest person around, and I am - I admit - lazy. I do housework, clean up and all that but I do take my time to do it. (Like, 15 minutes of slacking before I decide that I should mop the floor.) But I do do things semi-efficiently. I don't know. I personally feel that homestays are the best way of experiencing the Japanese way of living but that might come at the expense of making other friends, international or Japanese.
If I stay in a dorm, I'd definitely get to make friends - mostly fellow SILS-er - but not as much Japanese interaction unless I put myself out there.
Homestays are a lot easier on the wallet too though. I dunno. I'll like, see how everything goes in May-June when I get stuff and have to send stuff out again. Both are different experiences, and both can go either way depending on my luck so hmm...
I was always kind of psyched at getting Hoshien or the International Dorm (preferably Hoshien because most of the people I know have stayed there and have an a rockin' good time) but now I'm swinging more to the side of trying a homestay. For one, it'll be easier on the wallet. The only thing I'm afraid of is of getting an overbearing family (note: my own family's pretty liberal and we can come back as late as we want provided we give a call back like say, before 9pm and we're pretty much allowed to do whatever we want - Hey mom & dad, you rock!) that has impossible curfews (e.g. 10pm) or would balk at me bringing back figures occasionally. That means, no otaku-phobic family. Haha, I think I need Murakami as my host-dad. HAHA.
But yeah, I am slightly afraid of possible screw-ups I might make. I'm not the neatest person around, and I am - I admit - lazy. I do housework, clean up and all that but I do take my time to do it. (Like, 15 minutes of slacking before I decide that I should mop the floor.) But I do do things semi-efficiently. I don't know. I personally feel that homestays are the best way of experiencing the Japanese way of living but that might come at the expense of making other friends, international or Japanese.
If I stay in a dorm, I'd definitely get to make friends - mostly fellow SILS-er - but not as much Japanese interaction unless I put myself out there.
Homestays are a lot easier on the wallet too though. I dunno. I'll like, see how everything goes in May-June when I get stuff and have to send stuff out again. Both are different experiences, and both can go either way depending on my luck so hmm...
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no subject
Date: 2009-02-18 01:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-18 03:30 am (UTC)roomies! :)
(you should check out the link i posted, that guy is having the time of his life in japan and i'm envious!!)