Host a Student from Japan

Pitzer College in Claremont invites you to share your home with a student from Tokyo Women’s Christian University, Kobe Women's University or Shukugawa Women’s College.

Students are participating in an academic program organized by Pitzer College including classes, field trips, and activities. They spend evenings and weekends with their host families. Families will be compensated.

Who are the host families?
   Host families are local families with a spare bedroom and a desire to meet students from Japan. Households have included families with school age children, working couples whose children are away at college, single career women, and retired couples.

What do host families do?
    Host families are expected to provide a private room for the student with basic furnishing including a bed, desk, lamp, dresser and closet. Students will eat breakfast and dinner during the week and weekend meals at home with their hosts. We also ask families to provide transportation for the student to campus in the morning and home from Pitzer at the end of the day.
     The goal is for your student to practice speaking English with you and your family in a friendly and informal manner in order to enhance what she is learning in classes. In return, the student should share her culture and experiences with you while learning about American customs and culture. Young children, unconcerned with language differences, are often fascinated by the foreign students. Teenagers may bond with the student over a shared taste in music. Adults who enjoy traveling may enjoy swapping traveling stories. By welcoming students into their households, many host families develop long-lasting friendships. We hope you will, too.

Who are the students?
     Most of the students we place with host families are Japanese students ranging in age from 17 to 22. They are here to participate in academic language programs organized by Pitzer College. They come from Tokyo Women's Christian University, Kobe Women's University and Sukugawa Gakuin College to learn English and American culture. They are at Pitzer from three weeks to several months, depending on the program.

Food, Fun and Friendship:
     What should we do with our students on the weekends?
   As a member of your household, we hope your student will be able to go with you on shopping trips, to sports events, to parties, out to eat or even on short weekend trips, just as you would take any other member of your family. While appreciated, it is not necessary to plan special or costly outings your family would not normally do. Just like your children, your student may need to rest or study some days. Some students attend religious services with their hosts, many do not. Some families share ethnic recipes and take turns preparing special dishes. What you do for fun on the weekends is up to you and your student. Enjoy!

Dates for 2008 to be announced
• Tokoyo Women's Christian University
• Shukugawa Gakuin College
• Kobe Women's College, 3-week program
• Kobe Women's College, 7-month program

Contact information
Todd Sasaki
International Programs Office
Pitzer College
1050 N. Mills Ave.
Claremont, CA 91711
909-621-8308
Todd_Sasaki@pitzer.edu