Dear host family: please cut it out. Love, Becky.

So I was told so many times what to do about cultural differences between my family and me. What if they're just ignoring me? What do I do then?

It's been going on for a little over a week. I'm trying so hard to be more social, but it feels like I'm talking to a brick wall. They barely address me unless I address them first. Hell, Nomu-san barely talks to me directly at all anymore unless he's telling me what time dinner will be or something. We talked so much at the beginning. Feels like kind of a contrast.

I thought I was handling it well, and then I had to go to my room and cry for a few minutes because I sat with them for hours and the one time I thought someone was talking to me, they were actually talking to someone else.

I've been listening to everyone else talk about their families and how much enthusiasm they have for their exchange students, but I'm beginning to feel like my presence doesn't make much of an impact on their life at all.

Part of the reason I came here was to try and become more independent, and kick some of my lingering insecurities. I didn't need to regress back to high school and feel invisible all over again.

End