Since 1990, about eighty Riverton families have opened their homes to a student from Hoshimizu for three weeks in the summer. Every one of them was nervous beforehand, and nearly every one of them has asked to do it again. These notes come from those families, from our students, and from my own two years living in Japan. Please don't worry about getting everything right. Your student will be just as worried about the same thing.

— Pat Mejorado

• Your student will write to you in the spring, in careful English. Write back soon, and send a picture of your family, your house and your pets. A picture of the room they'll sleep in is a great comfort.
  
  
• Tell them about any allergies in the family, any pets, and anything they should pack (a sweater, for one; a July evening in Oregon is cooler than a July evening in Japan).
  
  
• Learn to say their name properly. Ask your student to say it for you slowly, and practice.

• Jet lag is real. In the summer, Japan is sixteen hours ahead of Oregon: when it is 9:00 in the morning here, it is 1:00 the next morning in Hoshimizu. Expect a sleepy student for the first two or three days, and let them nap.
  
  
• Bowing. Your student may bow when you meet. You don't need to bow back perfectly. A smile, a small nod and a handshake are all fine, and most of our students are proud to have learned the American handshake.
  
  
• Shoes. In Japan, everyone takes off their shoes at the front door. Your student will probably stop on the doormat and look at you. Tell them your house rule, whatever it is. Quite a few Riverton families have adopted the Japanese rule for good.
  
  
• Gifts. Your student will arrive with gifts for everyone in the family, beautifully wrapped. In Japan a gift is often set aside and opened later, but most students know our custom and will be delighted if you open it right away and say what you like about it. Accept it with both hands if you can remember to.
  
  
• Show them everything. Walk them through the house on the first day: the kitchen, where the towels are, how the shower works, how to lock the door, where the snacks live. Tell them, in so many words, that they may help themselves. They won't, at first, but it helps to hear it.

• Ask questions with choices. A polite Japanese student may say "yes" to almost any question, because saying no to a host feels rude. "Are you hungry?" gets a yes. "Would you like a sandwich or soup?" gets a real answer.
  
  
• Food. Most of our students will try anything once. Many of them miss rice more than anything else from home, so cook a pot now and then; it doesn't have to be Japanese rice to be welcome. American portions surprise them. Don't be hurt if a plate isn't finished.
  
  
• The bath. In Japan, people wash and rinse off before getting into the tub, and the hot bath water is shared by the whole family, so a student may be unsure what to do with an American bathroom. Show them, and say how long a shower is all right in your house. Many prefer to bathe in the evening rather than the morning.
  
  
• Chores. Japanese students clean their own classrooms every day at school, and they are used to helping. Give your student a job: setting the table, feeding the dog, drying dishes. It makes them part of the family instead of a guest.
  
  
• Calling home. International calls are expensive, so agree on a schedule and buy a prepaid phone card. Saturday at 6:00 in the evening here is Sunday at 10:00 in the morning in Hoshimizu, a good time to catch the whole family at home.
  
  
• Homesickness usually arrives at the end of the first week. Keep busy. Our host families get together for a picnic on the first Sunday, and it helps for the students to spend an afternoon speaking their own language.

• Your student will want to bring a gift home to each member of their own family. Help them shop. Things from Oregon are best: filberts, jam made from our own berries, smoked salmon in a can, a sweatshirt from Riverton High.
  
  
• If you send a gift of your own, don't make it a set of four. The word for four in Japanese can sound like the word for death, and sets of four are avoided. Three or five is fine.
  
  
• Leave room in the suitcase. There is never enough room in the suitcase.
  
  
• There will be tears at the airport, usually from the host father. This is normal.