Satoshi, who you may recognize from his previous stay in southern California, recently traveled to London to learn some of the differences between UK and Japanese medical procedures. Satoshi is a father and a doctor from Osaka, japan.
I stayed in Wembley, London with my host Sharan for about two weeks. From my experience, there are surely several differences between a homestay and a hotel. I would say the biggest difference is that you could experience the similar life to local people, which is one of the greatest pleasures in a trip abroad. I ate the same breakfast the host served and lived in a similar style as the host by using the same household goods. I do not think you could feel experience the local life by staying in a hotel. This experience only comes by staying in a homestay. Sharan taught me a lot of things about the UK.
Observing at St. Mark's
I was visiting St. Marks Hospital to observe medical procedures on weekdays. I learned some differences between the UK and Japan in terms of medicine, which was my first aim of this trip. After work, I went to the city to join in English lessons where I met a lot of people from different countries such as Italy, Romania, Korea, China, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, etc. I was surprised at how ethnically diverse the city of London was. It was great that I was able to make some good friends from other countries there. On the week end, I repeatedly made short trips to typical sightseeing spot such as London Eye, Buckingham palace, Westminster Abbey, various museums, The Cotswolds, Oxford City, etc.
St. Mark's Hospital
The best place I visited was The Cotswolds, an area with beautiful small, old towns located 100 miles west of London. There were distinctive honey-coloured classic houses built of yellowish limestone. That was really beautiful and a completely different atmosphere from London.
The Cotswolds
Also, as most of the museums in London are basically free, they are worth visiting. However, just walking in the city was nice because many buildings there were very British, traditional, and beautiful.
Walking around London
London is a truly cosmopolitan city and so was the homestay. There was one more homestay guest who was a young man from Jordan. My host's roots were Indian but mostly he was raised in Kenya and moved to London when he was young. So, it was quite international inside the house from which I learned a lot of things.
Sharan and me
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