Itarashi tomodachi (new friend)

Last night the city of Yukuhashi hosted a reception for all of us to show their appreciation for coming to the city. It is here we all met our 'host family'. Each one of us will be staying for 2 days with a Japanese family. We were all very nervous before coming to the banquet because we all worried, "what if they don't speak English?". As soon as I met Kumiko, my host mother,
I felt completely at ease. She doesn't speak much English at all, and I speak very, very little Japanese, but we had such a nice time together. I have been learning, that a smile, laughter and body language goes a long way when you are limited with actual vocabulary in another language. I also keep my little dictionary close to me and that has really been a lifesaver.
Kumiko has a husband (otto; thats 'husband' in Japanese, not his name) and two musume (daughters). I will meet her whole family today when they pick me up to go to their house. She also has two inu (dogs) who I am looking forward to meeting. I will show you how my time was with my family when I return to Tokyo on Monday.