Homestay Testimonials: William Jun Wei Yeow

  • Name: William Jun Wei Yeow
  • Major: Art
  • Minor: Japanese
  • Semester: Fall 2008
  • Best Excursion: A trip to Hong Kong with my homestay family
  • Favorite Dish: Soba
  • Least Favorite Dish: Natto

Share a favorite memory from your homestay experience.


Photo taken at a TUJ information session with local high school students.Over the course of my homestay period, I was given the chance to participate in many cultural and community-based activities. The host mom is a member of a group which organizes various activities to bridge the gap between foreigners and locals within the area. Being a foreigner in a foreign country, it is all too easy to feel alone and cut off from family and friends. In this way it's always good to know that you are not alone and that there are many different peoples from many different lands who also reside within the same area. Attending Japanese conversational lessons, cooking and speech meets or Citizens' Festivals with the Association, I was surprised to find that there were in fact many people in a similar situation as myself, and be they of Chinese, Korean, Pakistani or American origins, we always had fun and learnt a great deal about both Japanese and other cultures.

But there isn't any single instance which I can extrapolate from my experience in staying with the family to sum up the whole thing succinctly. I could cite this or that example but the fact of the matter is that being with such a warm and caring group of people made every day an interesting and enjoyable experience. For me, I am glad that I will still be staying in Japan for some time after leaving them, as it means that I am able to say, "See you next time!" instead of goodbye. It's a feeling that cannot be done justice by being put into words and if you want to know what it's like, I suggest staying with them and finding out first-hand. I guarantee you won't regret it.