My Host Family

Today I met my host family. There is a father, mother, and two little boys, aged 8 and 6. The parents speak to me in short, simple sentences so I'm able to understand almost everything they say. The grandmother, who I met later, said to me, "watashi wa grandma desu!" But she talks so fast that that was pretty much the only thing I understood from her.
In a way, there is nothing remarkable about my host family. They are very kind, pleasant and patient with me, of course. The little boys treat me much as you would expect from little boys: a mixture of shyness and indifference. But hearing them call me "Kelley-chan" is really cute. One of the boys was bugging his mother for more money for video games, much as my little brother would. His mom rolled her eyes and put her fingers in her ears, much as my mom would. The father fell asleep on the train with his head tilted back and his mouth drooping open, much as my father would.
My university is in Nagoya but my host family lives in a small agricultural suburb about 30 minutes away. Host Mom warned me that Japanese houses are very small, but their house is really not bad at all. It is two stories, and while it isn't a strictly traditional Japanese house, there are Japanese influences to be seen. Most of the floors and walls are wooden and some of the windows have sliding wood-and-paper screens. The tables and beds are low to the floor. But otherwise the house looks pretty normal. It's cluttered with baby photos, VHS tapes, house plants, legos, airplane models, and origami dinosaurs.
I was surprised at how large my room is. It's much larger than my bedroom at home. I have a bed, desk, little couch, coffee table, and a dresser.
Japan has a reputation for being high-tech, but I didn't expect this to extend to the bathroom. I'm surprised at how complex the toilet and bathtub are. They have buttons. Buttons on the bathtub, shower and toilet. In my primitive American mindset, I think, "Why would you need buttons? How many options can there possibly be?" Today I tried to take a shower, but for the life of me I couldn't get any hot water to come out. My host mom told me that I needed to push a button first.
Host Mom is especially helpful. She seems to know a lot of English but only uses it if I get stuck on a Japanese word. She asked a lot of questions about what I like to eat and you are all going to be jealous when you hear what's on the menu for dinner tonight: sushi!