11/07/18 Natsuki & Natsumi

    On my birthday, the 7th of November, my family and I hosted two 17 year old Japanese students for the night. Natsuki and Natsumi, both girls just a year younger than myself, go to school at Nirayama high school in Japan, which is in Prefecture 410-2143. From what I understand, both girls live about an hour train ride from Tokyo. I also learned that Natsuki's father is a dairy farmer, just like my grandfather.
   Hosting Natsuki and Natsumi was my first hosting experience, and it turned out to be a tremendous time. Me, my father, mother, brother, Natsuki, and Natsumi all went out to dinner at Mohawk Bend, a cool "quintessentially L.A." restaurant on Sunset Blvd. Afterwards, even though both girls were wiped out from their travels, we went to Target, which might have been the highlight of the evening. Natsuki and Natsumi bought goldfish crackers, which they were excited to try, and gifts to bring back to their families and friends in Japan.
    Though there was undeniably a language barrier between me and my host students, we found other ways of communicating. I downloaded a translator app on my iPhone, which wasn't perfect but allowed for some laughs. I drove the girls in my car down to the restaurant, and they played me some of the music that they like to listen to. We drove with the windows down, and I saw my city in a new light.

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