> Not a few weeks, not a few months, but the full academic year. I had studied Japanese since middle school, and I had an amazing time fully immersing myself in the wonderful world of Kyoto for those 9 months.
I couldn’t agree more, but would like to recommend the year long high school exchange home stay. It seems to be far less common than it was in the 70’s and 80’s but it is truly life changing. Experiencing a culture for a year, not as a tourist is an incredibly broadening experience. In my mind what makes it surpass the university study abroad, is that for many people the college experience, can at times be very isolating, while the experience of a home stay with a host family avoids that.
That depends on the host family. I've know a few that got a miserable experience. You have to accept the lifestyle of your host family - do they stay home, or go out any party. If stay home is it watching TV, reading books, playing board games, caring for the farm (which they expand to fit all possible labor), knitting sweaters, or something else. If it is going to parties, what kind - is it just getting drunk, dancing, a music jam, bowling, or something else. Depending on your personality you may enjoy some of the above and hate others.
Some persons might discover that their personality was just molded but how their family lives. And that they might actually like this other style more. Or both, and create a mix when they go to live by themselves.
Homestay sucked for me (in Kyoto). It was more of a share house with dinner than a real family experience. Turns out I vastly preferred living on my own (not to mention it was about half the price), and got plenty of culture making normal friends at university instead.
I know another guy who stayed with a host family who ran a cat cafe and had practically an anime-type experience and became de facto part of their family, so it's a bit of a lottery and does depend on your personality too.
I couldn’t agree more, but would like to recommend the year long high school exchange home stay. It seems to be far less common than it was in the 70’s and 80’s but it is truly life changing. Experiencing a culture for a year, not as a tourist is an incredibly broadening experience. In my mind what makes it surpass the university study abroad, is that for many people the college experience, can at times be very isolating, while the experience of a home stay with a host family avoids that.