Before Addie ever left the country, she convinced her parents to host a Japanese exchange student — a “trial run” that turned into a lifelong sisterhood and, eventually, her own semester abroad in Japan.
In this episode, Addie shares what happens on both sides of an exchange: hosting a Japanese teen on her family’s rural farm (cows, chickens, and all), then living with that same family in Japan a year later. She talks candidly about the small cultural surprises that catch everyone off guard — from microwave wattage to who’s expected to do chores — and the harder moments, like adjusting to a Japanese all-girls school where conformity, not individuality, is the norm.
Addie also opens up about the homesickness that hit hard three weeks into her stay, the host mom who talked her through it, and why she still calls the whole experience “transformative” over a decade later — including a friendship with her host sister that’s lasted through both of their weddings and now, both of their babies.
If you’ve ever wondered what hosting an exchange student is really like, or what it takes to go from curious teenager to confident world traveler, this episode is for you.
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