Experience of a lifetime

I am so happy I participated in WCI and got to come back to Japan after 18 years of being away. I was born in Japan but moved to the United States at the age of 4 and have not since returned until now. I forgot a lot of my Japanese when I moved to the US. Staying with host families in different cities really motivated me to relearn Japanese and surprisingly I picked it up again within the month I was in Japan. All of my host families were kind and made sure I was comfortable at all times. I felt as though they really made an effort to accommodate me and the connections I made with my host brothers and sisters are irreplaceable. I enjoyed doing various cultural activities with the other participants and getting to go places I would not have gone to on my own. I recommend this program to anyone who is interested in learning about Japanese traditions, culture, history, and of course the best part of it all... the food! I'm also grateful for the friendships I've made with people from other countries and I will treasure these relationships. If you are considering joining, I would say be open-minded, vulnerable, and willing to step outside of your comfort zone!! It's worth it!