~*=recollection of japan=*~

4/6/2005 - 5/6/2005: homestay with Rei's family


dunno if it's bcos my last homestay was too fun, but this time round, it seemed so plain and uninteresting. early in the morning at our dorm, i was greeted by sharon's comment tt my host looks v dao. din hv time for breakfast and rushed out to meet them. so there was Rei, a 28-yr-old gal with snow white skin and ice princess smile. along with her was her mum. i got onto their car as they drove mi to their place in 可部 (Kabe), somewhere in the northern Hiroshima City.

while chatting and getting to know each other in the car, i realised tt Rei's english is super good! with american slang some more. so dun hv to worry abt communication liao. but of cos, she used Japanese most of the time and only English when i didn't understand. and somehow, there seemed to be something lacking. no feeling of warmth or joy. even the things we talked abt r juz some basic and routine stuff. all these initial impressions already tells mi tt i wasn't going to enjoy this homestay v much.

b4 going home, we first stopped by at a shopping mall where Rei collected some documents and we also had coffee in this cafe which looks like our Coffee Bean in SG. i then got to know tt Rei actually studied/worked in New York for 4 yrs. no wonder her english so good. later we also stopped by at a supermarket where her mum bought some foodstuffs.

when we got to Rei's home, it was barely noon. Rei then went out cos she had some appointment in the hospital. so there i was, sitting in the dining room, watching TV & reading magazines. i started thinking: "how am i going to stay with them until tomorrow night??"

but ok, after a while, i started chatting with Rei's mum and younger brother. they brought out a map and we talked abt the various countries we've visited. then Rei's mum prepared lunch (cold noodles ) and Rei also returned as we were eating.

after eating, i chatted more with Rei in her room. she showed mi some her photos in New York, and i realised tt the pic of a black topless guy which is pasted juz beside her bed is actually... her bf! quite a shock initially, but i got to know tt her greatest wish is to find a job in New York teaching Japanese, so tt she can reunite with her bf asap. right now, she is doing her current job juz for money to get by. but her dream is actually to be a Japanese teacher. awww... also learnt tt she had a car accident juz a few mths back and sustained an injury in her back. no wonder need to go hospital..

it was abt 3pm tt time already. Rei, together with her younger brother, then took mi out to visit this temple on top of a nearby mountain. i fell asleep along the way and woke up to find myself already halfway up the mountain. then we had to climb up many many many many steps to reach the peak, where the temple is located. i really marvelled at how the ppl managed to build a temple somewhere so super high and ulu. anyway, the temple was rather quiet. juz walked ard for a while. then we went to hv a bird's eye view of the city of Kabe. it always feel so nice to stand on top and look down at the whole area.


during the ride back, i was wide awake already. i then realised how steep and narrow and winding all the roads up to the mountain r! gosh, i really admire japanese ppl's driving skills! also got to see the inaka (countryside) side of Japan, with rice fields and all.

back to the house, it was only abt 5pm. then i sat in the dining room again, waiting for Rei's mum to prepare dinner. i was hoping to help out but the kitchen also seem a bit small. so meanwhile, i watched a lot of TV, and used Rei's laptop to surf net. finally at abt 7pm, we had dinner. it was delicious~! actually i could still eat more, but they've already stopped eating so i paiseh to continue. =P and after dinner, more TV again!! mi and Rei watched this show introducing the most beautiful spots in the world. quite interesting. the world is so big sia... really hope i can get to visit all these places some day.

then abt 10.30pm, i had my shower and slept by abt 11pm.

the nx day, Rei and her mum brought mi to visit the New Zealand Farm. it was quite a long drive away. we stopped at some market along the way to get some vegetables. when we reached the New Zealand Farm, i was quite excited. it looks really big and beautiful and interesting. after spending practically the whole of yesterday watching TV at home, i tot today wld be better.


the scenary is indeed v nice inside, with green green grass, blue blue sky, and lotsa colourful flowers. we first witnessed how ppl harvest rice the traditional way. then walked ard a bit. and v soon it was time for lunch. we had table bbq, followed by some bread. while eating the bread, some lil boys came over to our table and started showing off their new toys. haha.. so kawaii! and beside, there's another boy who kept hiding behind his pram and say "Inai yo~ inai yo~" ("i'm not here, i'm not here"). haha... and when he appeared from behind the pram, it's a lil shuai ge!!


following lunch, we watched a traditional japanese performance. the whole thing lasted abt an hr. but ok, quite interesting. after the show, i was still feeling energetic abt visiting all the other fun spots. but Rei and her mum seemed a bit tired already. we visited the sheep farm for a while, and there were 2 kids playing with the lambs. so adorable!


wld hv really love to stay to watch the coming performance and also see more of the other places in this huge NZ farm. but from Rei and mum's looks, can tell tt they r ready to go home already. so ok... walked towards the exit, had an ice-cream and then, bye bye New Nealand Farm.

it was almost 5pm when we got home. there was nothing to do and so i stayed in my room, listened to my mp3 player and napped a bit. after an hr, i went to the dining room and yes, watched TV again while dinner was being prepared. we had curry rice tonite. yum yum!

so after tt, i packed up and Rei and mum drove mi back to the dorm. i was glad to go back finally. being with my fellow SG girls, we started rambling excitedly abt one another's homestay experience. feel so good and comfortable to be back with these buncha fun ppl.

it was truly a HOME-STAY for mi~