From Guests to Family in a Weekend: The Warm Welcome of the Tapia Family

Hello! This is the HelloWorld Host Team. This week we are happy to share with you the experience of the Tapia family, one of the hosts of our HelloWorld Cultural Exchange Program. This family originally from the Philippines, has been in Japan for over a decade. With the hope to leave positive impressions of their country on their guests, they joined our program and are now looking forward to hosting their 20th guest this month!

After a year of hosting with HelloWorld, we have decided to chat with them and find out more about their experience.

Let’s read more about it!

—Why did you decide to join the program?

I saw a facebook advertisement on HelloWorld’s host program, and it was exactly what we were looking for. We have been in Japan for 15 years, and we struggled to build community due to the language barrier. Our desire as a couple is to bless and thank the locals, by creating a global family. With this program, we felt like we could meet halfway, learning from each other without the language stopping us.

—Throughout the program, was there any particular experience that was memorable?

One student that we hosted had dreams to be a train conductor, and this was very memorable because my son wants to do the same. At first she was really shy, so we didn’t know where to start. But once we learned about this shared dream, she opened up a lot. Talking and communicating was so special. It really is a mutual path, they learn from us and we learn so much from each kid’s particular story. With this girl, we told her that we appreciated her and it made her happy so she cried, which made the whole experience even more emotional.

— I’m sure culture shock is present in the experience too. Was there any particular cultural exchange that made an impression?

So many! The kids are so cute and wonderful. I might repeat this many times, but everyone has their own story. Learning English is not the only thing that they did, which is amazing. This experience really transcends language. We can build community and friendships. All of the kids I hosted are like family to me. It also made me change my perception of Japanese people.

—That’s interesting. Could you tell us more about it?

It has changed a lot. Everyone has their own story. In spite of the short period of time, we learn a lot and beyond the language itself. By their body language, smiles… non-verbal cues are also important and you can sense the person. A lot of them don’t know much about the Philippines, and in the same way in the Philippines a lot of people also have a different perception of Japan. So it’s nice to be able to change positively, even just on a small level, those mutual thoughts, and be an ambassador for our country.

— I’m aware you also have an important relationship with your faith. How has that been as a host?

We really like to share our real life routine with our guests, so as long as they feel comfortable, we like to take them to the church as a part of the family experience. This also makes it possible to show them our community, so it is really fun to do that. I really enjoy hearing the feedback of the kids, because our religion is not very known in Japan.

As one of our most experienced families, the Tapia family also has the wonderful habit to share with us the schedule of the planned activities with the guests beforehand so that we can pass them on. Not only they reassure the students of what they will be doing together, but also go above and beyond to personalize the experience to each student.

— We have noticed your spectacular and well-thought schedules for each experience. Is there a reason to that?

We send the plan for the guests in advance to make them feel at ease and welcomed. If they arrive to a house in which the language, the culture, everything is different, and on top of that they don’t know what’s going to happen, we thought they may be nervous and hesitant. So we wanted them to have this schedule to encourage them to enjoy their homestay experience as much as possible.

— What advice would you give to families who are hesitant about participating in the program?

What made me and my husband join this program was our wish to be a blessing to the world and our community. In this case, Japan. But we found much more and received reciprocation from our guests, learning their unique stories and backgrounds. And this has brought us so much joy! So our advice would be: be yourself! And enjoy what they give you, because everyone has their own story and every moment counts. As expats, we don’t know if and when we’re gonna leave Japan, so try to make the most of your experience here. Let this be a way for them to see the beauty of your country. It’s absolutely worth it!

We want to thank the Tapia family for answering our questions today, and for always warmly welcoming the guests and sparking their passion for the world with us!

Through the HelloWorld Cultural Exchange Program, our amazing Host Families share their culture and their daily life with Japanese students by welcoming them into their homes. No matter if you are an experienced or a new host, our program is an opportunity for you to join a vibrant international community and make wonderful connections.

If you are interested in learning more about it, we suggest taking a look at our previous Host Voice issue, “Building Peaceful and Friendly Relations Through Hosting”.