Nice couple isn’t it?

14 Malaysian participants spent the six flying hours anxiously thinking of what to expect spending a week in the home of total strangers. To our surprise the moment we stepped into the Hippo Head Office in Osaka, we were welcomed by the foster families, with Malaysian traditional songs and dances. The atmosphere was like a homecoming of family members who had been away for a very long time. Thereafter, we were whisked away to our home and family and spent a wonderful and unforgettable week in Japan.

My happy Hippo family and I were ready for an all day long outing

The one hour train ride to Kyoto allowed me to give a quick introduction of myself to Mrs. Sawami and her pretty five years old daughter, Nina. The Sawami family owns a modern and comfortable double storey house within a quiet and peaceful housing area just outside of Kyoto. I was introduced to Mr. Sawami and two other wonderful children, Ryo and Karin. From then on, my stay in Japan was nicely programmed with sightseeing, shopping, picnic, party, tea ceremony and calligraphy with other Hippo family members in Kyoto. I needed little time to adjust and getting used to my new lifestyle. I enjoyed every minute of it. The only small problem that I faced was to wake up at 3:30 in the morning to perform the ‘Subuh” prayer. I was tiptoeing to the bathroom to clean myself and trying my best not to disturb my host from their deserved rest.

The food was not a problem and every time I craze for the taste of chili I took out my spicy ‘rendang’. Unfortunately, my foster family was not able to enjoy the hot and spicy rendang, kuah satey and ketupat nasi that I had brought along with me.

I visited almost all the famous historical sites in Kyoto including the Ancient Imperial Palace and it was a wonderful experience of getting the feeling of the environment where the Emperor once lived. A day tour to Osaka to visit the giant aquarium was very satisfying as I love rearing fish myself.

We were about to mount the “Eye of Osaka”

There were many memorable moments when I attended the Hippo Family meetings in Kyoto. Those young mothers were learning 19 foreign languages and culture in a rather comical but effective method which they simply explained as ‘no-class room’, ‘no-teacher and no-exam’. How can anyone learn a foreign language without those basic requirements? They are learning them by mimicking what they hear from the CD and correcting their errors among themselves and sharing experiences by those who had made a trip earlier. My short stay was an opportunity to them to hear how the language is actually spoken by a native. I did what I could to correct their pronunciation. It was very satisfying that I managed to make them to call me “Abang” perfectly.

One week clicks so fast, but all good things must come to an end. On the final morning the 14 of us gathered again in Osaka for the bus ride to Kansai Airport. From the sad faces, red eyes and tear drops of the participants, I believe that I was not the only one who was having a great and enjoyable stay but everyone did and I am sure they have their own stories to share. We did not bade ‘sayonara’ nor ‘goodbye’ instead we said “we will see you again…. soon “.

Introduction of Hippo family activities in Bahasa Malaysia

I wish to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful Sawami family members for making my stay so meaningful and make me believe that now I do have a family in Japan. I better stop writing here before I start crying again.