Meeting my host family for the first time was a special kind of experience. I was greeted by a 7-year-old boy clutching a Pikachu in one hand and his mother in the other. At first he seemed unsure of what to make of me, and I was a little concerned whether or not he would accept me. It’s amazing just how small children can change; by the time we got home, we were already best friends, he even wanted us to sleep together (the next day we even showered together. This is not unnatural from a Japanese perspective). The mother and father were very warm and welcoming. Admittedly, the first day I felt more like a guest than a family member, but that is only natural, I think. of course, when you are treated like a guest, you kind of start acting like one, and it took some time to get out of that mentality. I think I managed it, and by now I feel more like a family member.
Espen Nielsen (Norway)