Anyway, we were all lined up so that we would be in the right order to be introduced to our families. They hid us behind this divider and we were individually called on stage to meet with our families. It was really nice to meet my mother for the first time, it wasn't awkward at all! In fact, she embraced me as soon as she saw me. She is one spunky lady, full of life and energy. Her personality is quite different a typical Japanese woman of her age. She's a huge kid at heart, just like me! Lunch was great, and on our way home we stopped to get my train pass and insurance figured out.
Now, arriving at home was a huge culture shock. Having been to Japan four times before this, I thought I pretty much had it figured out! I have stayed with family before, and thought I knew the ropes...nope, nope, nope, all wrong. I never knew the lifestyles of Japanese people differed so much from place to place. The house was quaint, but very different from any Japanese house I have stayed in. My room and bed is comfortable and the one toilet is right outside of it. There is no sink because apparently you're suppose to wash your hands in the little stream that comes out at the top after you flush the toilet? o___o Not sure how I feel about washing my hands with toilet water (not to mention, there's no soap). Every time I use the bathroom I just commute to the shower room where there's a sink so I can wash my hands properly :p The biggest culture shock was probably the kids because I don't have younger siblings. There are four kids in the house, Akira, Nana, Naoki, and Takeshi (ages 1, 3, 5, and 7). Now, in the Japanese culture, parents don't really start hardcore disciplining their children until they have to start worrying about entrance exams and all that, so these kids run around crazily! They were everywhere! Throwing rocks on the food, taking their underwear off randomly, running around during dinner, etc. I was so not used to that! Totally freaked out, not going to lie. There are 9 people in the house now (including me), and we all share one bath. The whole family of 6 bathes at the same time, and as a result all 4 children come running out naked. They stay naked for about 30 minutes, and during those 30 minutes, they love to act like complete rascals. My omiyage was opened with three little penises staring down at it and a naked little girl crawling towards it on the table.
Also, when I was going back to my room there was a little naked boy sitting on the toilet taking a poo. As if that didn't surprise me enough, he left the little present in their when I went to use the toilet later. I was so tired and overwhelmed from the long day that all I could do was bawl my eyes out to Gavin. It's been a while since I've been in a situation that is so emotionally and mentally exhausting. I went to bed that night with a heavy heart and a bad case of homesickness.
