As I was raised in a typical traditional Japanese family in a small town many years ago, I do not think I was raised to express my opinions clearly and directly. When I first went overseas and stayed with a family, this attitude of mine, of course, in addition to my limited skills in English, made it difficult for my host family to understand me.

After so many years I can still remember how many times my host mother used the word 'want' in her questions to me. She tried to be sure about my desires and thoughts, asking me whether I wanted something or wanted to do something. When she planned a short trip, she asked me, "Do you want to go with us Monterey to see seals and Carmel where many artists live?" My answer was 'yes' but with an indifferent expression without any sentences such as "That sounds great" or "I would really love to be there with you." I was not used to expressing my happiness with words and facial expressions at that time. I was waiting for my happy feeling to be understood by her without giving those hints. That confused her and made her ask me a similar question again to know whether I really wanted to go. Though there was difficulty in our communication, she understood that I wanted to go. 

The trip was fun seeing seals and sea otters that cannot be seen at home as well as beautiful Carmel. My host parents gave me a beautiful photo book. Actually I forgot about how the places were, but I have not forgotten the warm feeling and time shared with my host parents. Through the homestay, I noticed that in the US it is important to express one's opinion, idea and feeling clearly for proper communication. 
Now I understand that the way of communication was quite different between my host family and me, and that is the reason why she needed to repeat such a question. Those questions must have reflected the US culture that respects other people's opinions and desires.

In contrast, I was not used to clearly expressing my desires and opinions. Rather I had to wait for someone else to ask a question or express their desire or opinion. This kind of attitude was not a problem with communication in Japan. This way of behaving may have come from my family discipline or our culture that sometimes prefers unclear statements. Even now some people in Japanese culture are still reluctant to express a different opinion and view as well as avoiding discussion about differences with other people. 

I think in most countries clear words are essential for proper communication. Japanese society has changed, but still some people tend to be reserved and hesitate to clearly say what they want and what they think. The homestay gave me a good opportunity to learn my attitudes, myself and our culture in comparison to another one. It is interesting that after my visit to another country, I became more conscious of our own culture, a culture that I had not paid much attention to before.