[Extra Edition] Family and Hospitality: What I Learned as a Teacher During a Homestay

"Are the teachers staying at a hotel?"

During the children's homestay period, we accompanying teachers also stayed in homestays just like the students.

We teachers were hosted by the families of teachers from our sister school. We teachers deepened our connections and had similar experiences to the children.

From the moment the front door opened, I was welcomed not as a "guest from Japan," but as a member of the family.

Japan is often called a "country of hospitality." I myself have had the experience of welcoming guests from overseas into my home. When welcoming guests from abroad, I have always thought about what Japanese-style hospitality is.

This time, the period I spent on the Gold Coast was a time that made me rethink the meaning of that "hospitality." I woke up early in the morning and walked along the beach for about an hour and a half, admiring the wonderful scenery. After the beach walk, we went to a bakery and had breakfast in a relaxed atmosphere.
We spent relaxing time watching "Moana" at the movie theater, and enjoyed watching AFL and rugby matches together.

These times were not a daily routine that I could easily obtain in my life in Japan. I am simply grateful for being allowed to experience all of this together.

While such wonderful moments enriched my heart and filled me with gratitude, what left the biggest impression on me was not the feeling of "having something done for me."

"I am happy that you are here."

That feeling was naturally conveyed through every word, expression, and action. There was no sense of them forcing it. Their thoughtfulness, smiles, and kindness were all very natural.

That is precisely why I was able to spend time as a member of that family without feeling tense.

Hospitality is not a service.

I realized that it is a "mental attitude" of welcoming the other person as a precious being.

And there is one more thing I was made to think about.

What is a "family"?

Is it blood ties?
Is it spending a long time together?

Of course, those are also important forms of family.

But this homestay taught me that it is not just that.

Even in just a few days, the feeling of "I care about you" creates a sense of security between people and produces a warmth like that of a family.

A family might not be "people who live in the same house," but "a relationship where people care for each other."That is what I thought. And I conveyed this to the children with all my heart.

What the children gained from the homestay was by no means just English proficiency. It was not just cross-cultural understanding either.

"I was accepted."

I felt that that sense of security became their greatest asset. When I asked the children, they received it as something very happy, and I felt the same way.

A homestay as an adult.

Although I visited Australia in the position of an accompanying person (educator), I myself also learned many things as a human being.

Looking back now that I have returned to Japan, what remains in my heart most is not that "Japanese hospitality is wonderful," but"True hospitality has no borders."It is not about trying to please the other person, but

caring for the other person.If you have that heart, even if cultures and languages are different, people can feel at ease and smile.

The people at the sister school and the host families taught me that not through words, but through their way of life. It is something I could feel and learn precisely because I went to Australia with the children.

Now it is my turn to welcome someone in Japan.

The warmth I received in Australia, I would like to pass on to the children, the parents, and the people around me.

I would like to connect it, even if just a little.

What is a family?

What is heartfelt hospitality?

I feel like I found the answer in one home in Australia. Thank you for reading again today.