Letter to my real host family, "Nice to meet you!"

Dear Kristen,

Hi there! I’m going to take part in the homestay program in Minnesota and spend this summer with you, so I’m looking forward to seeing you. I’d like to know who my host family is early.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Ruka. I'm a 2^nd-year student at KGU and majoring in English. I’m 19 years old and I’m from Kumamoto, Japan. I can speak Japanese and simple English but I started to learn basic French when I came to university. I like to play basketball, play the Japanese traditional drums, go shopping and go to some fashionable cafes or restaurants. I also love listening to foreign songs and singing them at karaoke. I don’t know, whether there is any karaoke in the U.S., but it’s where we sing a popular song while a karaoke machine plays the music to the song without the words. I often sing Mariah Carey, Ke$sha, Rihanna and Maroon5’s songs. I work part-time as a waitress at a steak restaurant and as a cook at a dining restaurant. Although the cuisine is expensive, it’s so yummy. I really enjoy working! I live with my mother and I have my grandparents and my great grandmother. All of them always help me as much as they can.

I'd like you to ask some questions. How many members of your family? Are you interested in Japan or Japanese? What do you like to do in your free time? Where do you often go to? What's your favorite dishes? 

When I was a high school student, there was an exchange student from Canada. At first, she didn't know anything about Japan and she went through many hardships to get along with Japanese students. However, she told us about a variety of Canadian cultural information and she also studied Japanese hard to fit in with us. I was really impressed by her modest attitude and thus I wondered if I go to Canada. Then, about a half year later, I found a scholarship to go to Prince Edward Island in Canada to study English. I wrote an essay in English to get it.  It was a nice place and people were very kind. Have you ever been there? After coming back to Japan, I felt like studying abroad again. Now I found the opportunity to study. I can’t wait to go and meet you.

Sincerely,

Ruka

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