BIG tip - because I have this same problem in Sweden too so I know it exactly - just talk and talk and do the best you can. The host family is going to secretly think you don't like them otherwise, or that the place is too boring, etc (mom is allllways saying "you must be so bored!" and "you seem like you don't like us" because i act like that). They don't care that your Japanese is bad, you're there to learn, so even if you can only say a little it pleases them to know you're trying. And if possible you should sometimes study in the living room or something so they know you do study (but I don't know about Japan, it could be considered too strange to study outside of your room). It's probably "easiest" to watch tv if someone else is watching at the same time, you can even bring a dictionary and look up words, but maybe that's too difficult at this point still I don't know. And you should in general write down stuff they teach you, I don't know if someone could get offended because you didn't remember something from last time.
Hmmm!!! I for sure want you to pick me up something, but what, I don't know.... gotta talk it over with my wife to see what she'll let me buy...
Do you have any other place you post more often? I'd love to see pics and stuff. Also what are classes like?
About social drinking, it's like that in Iceland and Sweden too, and frankly if you don't drink you get very isolated. People immediately stop thinking of you as one of them, if they ever did, and at least in Iceland a lot of people will only actually see you at parties because they're "too busy" for all the rest of the week. So I would pretend to drink most of the time if possible but not decline too many offers to go out (I mean, all this costs money, whether you actually like to drink or not - and you should always have a good excuse to decline because people will start thinking badly of you). I enjoy that kind of thing, but unfortunately my wife hates alcohol to the point of not being able to stand the smell or watch drunk people, so even if I were to move to Japan I wouldn't be able to... some people have gotten out of drinking in Japan by saying they're allergic hahha.
Based on my experience and what I've heard, conventions in America are the best, in terms of activities, organization, friendliness, and amount of people dressed up... and sometimes even cost. I'd love to go to SakuraCon again. But Europeans tend to think they have good conventions if they haven't been to American ones.
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Hmmm!!! I for sure want you to pick me up something, but what, I don't know.... gotta talk it over with my wife to see what she'll let me buy...
Do you have any other place you post more often? I'd love to see pics and stuff.
Also what are classes like?
About social drinking, it's like that in Iceland and Sweden too, and frankly if you don't drink you get very isolated. People immediately stop thinking of you as one of them, if they ever did, and at least in Iceland a lot of people will only actually see you at parties because they're "too busy" for all the rest of the week. So I would pretend to drink most of the time if possible but not decline too many offers to go out (I mean, all this costs money, whether you actually like to drink or not - and you should always have a good excuse to decline because people will start thinking badly of you). I enjoy that kind of thing, but unfortunately my wife hates alcohol to the point of not being able to stand the smell or watch drunk people, so even if I were to move to Japan I wouldn't be able to... some people have gotten out of drinking in Japan by saying they're allergic hahha.
Based on my experience and what I've heard, conventions in America are the best, in terms of activities, organization, friendliness, and amount of people dressed up... and sometimes even cost. I'd love to go to SakuraCon again. But Europeans tend to think they have good conventions if they haven't been to American ones.