Heartwarming Scenes

By Reika

Living with my host family was a great experience. Even if the time I spent with them was very short, I found some surprising things about relationships in Spokane. For two nights and three days, I faced three heartwarming scenes at their home, restaurant and church.

Host father was standing in the kitchen! It was the most surprising thing for me to see a man cooking and helping his wife. That never happens in Japan. Generally, the role of men is working outside, so men normally rest on their weekend; however, that fact was different in America. The men work both inside and outside of the house to help their family. That also shows us the men and women respect each other.

Another interesting experience I had was when I visited an Italian restaurant near the Museum of Art and Culture named “Italiana”. I had a delicious waffle with apple cream. A waiter came to our table to bring the waffle and she also brought papers on her hand. They were about a signature against the closing MAC. I visited the museum last Friday in American Studies class and it was a great opportunity to know about women’s dress code in each era. Local people were against the fact that MAC would be closed by the government because of a financial problem. In order to protect one museum, local people were all working together and trying to save the building. There was a strong connection among people in Spokane.

Final surprising experience was when I visited the beautiful church which was located in Gonzaga University, and then I saw a person that was doing sign language for people who couldn’t hear. She translates what the missionary said; moreover, there were special seats for disabled people. I’ve never been to a church in Japan, so I have no idea whether Japan has done something for challenging people; although, I was so impressed by the Americans’ gentle behaviors.

Though the homestay weekend, I found some interesting and surprising things about American culture. In addition, I found people in Spokane have good relationships with each other. I felt Spokane people always respect and help each other. That’s why I saw many warm and heartwarming scenes during the weekend.