A home away from home

A true test of one's language skill level is to get sick and have to explain what is wrong without causing widespread panic. Yesterday I was just not feeling super. My stomach was hurting really bad and I think I had a slight fever. It was also 100 degrees Farenheit outside (and it's just the beginning of the hot season) and I just didn't feel like being at training so I came home early. Of course my host parents were overly concerned. My host mother immediately called my host father at work and he rushed home with orange juice and bread. They insisted that I sleep in my host brother's room because there is AC. I slept and listened to "This American Life" on my ipod all day. I feel better today.

But as I laid in bed I thought how incredible it all was. I saw the genuine concern in my host parents faces as we flipped through our respective dictionaries trying to understand the words diarrhea, constipation, and fever in each other's languages. They insisted that I sleep my host brother's room last night because of the AC. I felt awful kicking him out of his room, but he pulled up a chair and my host mother told me that I am a daughter and a sister in this family and that's okay if I sleep in his room tonight. We are a family and that's what families do for each other.

It's amazing to me that after just 2 short weeks and an enormous language and culture barrier, I am comforted thousands of miles from home. This family has genuinely welcomed me into their home and truly think of me as a member of their family. I have experienced this feeling twice before in Japan, but it never ceases to amaze me at how powerful the relationships you make become.