Three Month Families

I haven't spent as much time telling about this host family as I did the others and the reason for that is I haven't as much of a good relationship with them as I did with my previous two families. Of course in all the families we had our ups and downs and had to work to accomadate each other, but we did work. With both previous families, we had really great communication and I was able to really count on them as a support system.

In the beginning, my relationship with this family was rocky at best. I felt, though it was mostly just a feeling, like they didn't really want to deal with me or have time for me. That was fine. I'm fairly self-sufficient and took advantage of the freedom that came with the lack of interest. I felt like they were annoyed by the questions that my other families loved, and I know my host grandmother really didn't care for the responsibilities of having a kid in the house. She harbored bitterness against me for having to do my laundry and make my lunch every morning. Had she told me, I would have gladly done it myself. I did in America and tried to in both my first two houses. Whenever I tried to talk to her, she brushed me off, saying she couldn't understand me, which was probably true, but rather disheartening.
So they took me with them on their vacation to an onsen resort up in the mountains. I played babysitter for the five-year-old, and I think that won me points with everyone on that trip.

I'm changing families on Sunday. We've just started to bond. She's just starting to ask me questions about my day and I have more of an idea of what's expected of me around the house. She's started to ask about my plans for the future and what I'll do with the Japanese I've learned. Recently, I've really busted up my foot in kendo. My club told me that if I tell my host grandma, she'll be able to take me to a doctor or at least give me something to put on it. I was hesitant to tell her because I've been so sick lately and I get the feeling that she's annoyed by it. She hints that I'm just looking for attention. But today, just as I was about to go to bed, I asked her to take a look at it and see what she thinks. She immediately starting fussing over how swollen it is and rubbed aloe vera stuff (I think it was aloe vera) all over it. I'm still in shock.

So once again, I'm leaving a family way before I'm ready. I've just stopped being a house guest and we're finally starting to connect, and I have to start all over again. Again. For the fourth time. And after three months with this next family, I'll have to go home, and head to college, where I'll start over again. I love Rotary very much, but whose idea was it to put me with four host families?! Isn't it easy to see what a pain it is?

At least I'm an adaptor now. And, due to all my family changes, I've got one heck of a support system. That's nice.