Host Family, Homestay House etc.

On Friday CIEE had us meet our host families, which I must say was a bit embarrassing. They had all the families in one room , and all the students in another. They'd have us walk in and one by one introduce ourselves, and then sit down with our family. Apparently this is some sort of Japanese custom, but it was a bit embarrassing walking into a room full of Japanese people and saying "Hajimemashite, watashi wa Noonan Mike desu" etc. etc. My host family consists of a Mother, two daughters (Haruka 22, Sanae, 19) and another CIEE student(Kevin, who I have yet to meet). After the introduction thing, my host mother took me back to the house, which is about an hour from school via 3 trains and about a 20 minute walk. The house is a bit bigger than I expected, and I have my own room which is very nice. Over the weekend my host mom took me to the park around the house, which is on a lake and very beautiful. There are several shrines and temples along the way as well. Living here entails a great deal of walking, most of which I am not yet used to, but in the end I think it will be good for me. The adjustment would have been easier if I would have came here straight from school, instead of straight from sitting on my butt for 2 months. The food here is good, but every so often the desire for some "normal" American food kicks in. Especially when I'm around other students, we get to talking about local foods back home, who has the best Mexican food (which everyone thinks they have) and other food related anecdotes. At this point I do like it here, despite the sometimes weirdness of the whole place, it is very welcoming at the same time very real, and also can be harsh, which is good for me. Pictures are here.