Hello everyone. Im just here to ask for some advice from anyone really, but if youve had experience with a Japanese exchange student, thatd be much appreciated. My family and I are hosting a girl from Japan. Shes been here for almost two months now. She does not know English very well at all, to the extent of needing a tutor. She is an extremely sweet and intelligent girl but also highly introverted. Her parents sent her over to the U.S. expecting her to come back with an improved/more social state of mind, which is not the most ideal goal. She does not show any interest in learning about America unless she is dragged along to an event. She does not initiate conversation (which we know is mainly cultural and part of the language barrier) but she also refuses to try improving her English, regardless. Our student relies heavily on an electronic translator and lies about using her iPad. At least twice a week, we find her crying while looking at pictures from home or talking to friends on her device when she initially said she was doing homework. With school being so digital, its hard to find a balance regarding electronics. My Japanese sister shows no interest in getting to know anyone at school or within the AFS club outside of forced events, while everyone else is getting to know each other. Tennis season is coming to an end and that was really her only outlet for friends. I am working on getting her into some clubs afterwards but I dont think it should be my responsibility to completely handle my exchange sisters social setup at school along with my own. As a family, we try to keep her involved in our everyday lives. We ask her questions about her hobbies and activities. Our mom tried giving her a hug when she was crying but she pulled away (again, I can see that being mostly cultural). We have connected her with a family friend from Japan who lives nearby and touches base with her on a monthly basis because her English is too poor to communicate when we ask if theres absolutely anything we can do. Our student has actually signed a contract with AFS and our family saying she will try to communicate more and use electronics less but nothing has changed. She lasted for about a day but now we have to force her out of her room or she will not emerge for hours. Once out and about in the house, she still refuses to talk. We highly believe its because she is scared to speak but she gives no effort or interest in anything, even if we initiate the concepts and conversation frequently. This is challenging because we really want this to work but at the moment, it is a one-sided effort. I am trying so hard to make this not ruin our moms views towards hosting another student because she is so lost and hurt right now. How can we inspire my Japanese sister to strive for more? Any advice or experience is welcome. We just want her to be happy and dont want the next eight months to be this rough. PS: apologies for the long post
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 03:53:42 +0000
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