このストーリーは実話です。
実際にこのようなホームステイを経験した、日本人高校留学生が渾身の力を込めて自分で書きました。
これからカナダにやって来る日本人への真剣な警告です。
このようなホストファミリーが存在するということを知っておいて下さい。
（個人情報を守るために、ストーリー中の名前は変えています。）
日本人高校留学生がこのモンスターホストファミリーに出会ったのは、2022年カナダのある中堅都市。
エージェントの囁く甘い嘘を信じ込み、カナダ高校留学に到着。
ホストファミリーの家に来ました。白人のホストマザーと黒人のファーザー、4人の子供がいました。
ホストとの生活を始めるとすぐ、酷い現状に直面。
ホストマザーは留学生をまるでメイドのように扱い、その他様々な精神的ダメージを与え続けました。
それでは、カナダで本当に起こっているモンスターホストファミリーのStoryをどうぞ。
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Snow was falling. The whole area was covered in snow, and the temperature was -18 degrees.
“What is my host family’s name?” I asked.
“Their names are Adebayo and Lauren,” Cathy, a homestay coordinator said and turned up the heater in the car. ”I hope you like the host family. They are pretty nice,” she continued and dropped me off in front of their house.
Their house was a one-story home with a basement and colorful illumination adorned on the roof. I knocked on the door three times.
The door opened and a man welcomed me, “Hi, Hina. I am Adebayo and my wife will come back soon. I will help carry your luggage. Come in.”
He carried my heavy suitcases and bags for me. A few minutes later, the door opened and a woman came in. She hugged me as soon as she saw me and said, “I am Lauren and your host mother. Nice to meet you. I will show you your room.”
She led me to the room in the basement. There was no desk to study at, and there was only a king-size bed and a shelf. After showing me the bathroom, she went upstairs. I unpacked my suitcases and bags. When dinner was ready, my host mother screamed from upstairs, “Hina, dinner time.”
I went upstairs and had dinner with my host family for the first time. We ate rice, soup and chicken. My host father asked me, “Where are you from in Japan?”
I answered, “I’m from Toyota city, Japan which is famous for cars.”
My host father said, “I didn’t know that Toyota was the name of a town.”
After dinner, I gave them some souvenirs such as slime, puzzles and snacks from Japan. The kids opened their toys with smiles on their faces. They looked like they liked slime more than puzzles. We watched TV together and listened to music from North America, Africa and Asia. After we enjoyed time together, the kids looked sleepy and went to bed. It was already 9 p.m..
“Before you sleep, I’ll tell you the house rules,” my host mother said.
“Okay,” I said.
“You have to help prepare dinner everyday to improve your English.”
She also said, “You have to put your phone upstairs at 9 p.m..”
I said, “I understand.”
“You have to clean the bathroom once a week, you get it?”
“Yes!” I said.
She said, “Okay! I love you. Have a good sleep, Hina. Good night.”
“Good Night.” I said.
I put my phone on the table and went to my room. I sent a message to my parents using my ipad. “They are nice people. I am relieved. Good night.”
The next day, when I came back from school, I got a message from my host mother. “Why didn’t you tell me that you have an ipad?!”
I said, “You never mentioned the ipad, so I didn’t put it upstairs.”
“From today, please leave the ipad here too,” she said.
She continued, “I don’t want you to go back home. If you don’t listen to what I say, we have to tell our homestay coordinator and they will send you home.”
I said, “I understand. I am so sorry.”
One month later, I invited Misaki, my friend, to sleep over at my house. We wanted to make toshikoshisoba, buckwheat noodles, on New Year’s Eve. We went to Walmart to get buckwheat noodles, sauce, fried shrimp and green onions to make toshikoshisoba the next day. After that, we had dinner together at my house and spent time with my host family. Their kids asked us many times to play with them, and we played hide and seek for one hour. After that, we were tired from playing, so we went to my room. Ten minutes later, the kids knocked on my door many times.
They said, “Come upstairs.”
We thought they wanted to play with us again, but we were already tired and wanted to talk together. “We can’t play together. We are tired. Sorry.” I said and closed the door.
Five minutes later, my host father came to my room and knocked on the door.
“Why didn’t you come? We had a snack upstairs and wanted to share.”
I said, “I didn’t know that you wanted to share. I’m tired of playing with the kids, so I declined them.”
My host father didn’t say anything. We went upstairs and had snacks. Everyone’s face looked gloomy.
After we ate snacks, we went back to my room. We looked up how to make soba and went to sleep.
Early in the morning, my host mother knocked on the door and said, “Decide whether we’ll go to church together or Misaki will go back home.” International students are not allowed to invite their friends over when their host family is not there. My host mother suggested that if I still wanted to stay with Misaki, Misaki and I could go to church with her.
Misaki and I already had a plan for the day and did not want Misaki to go back home. Misaki looked down, and the corners of her mouth were turned down. We had no choice, so Misaki went back home. We could not make toshikoshisoba either.
The next day, my host mother said, “Do not hang out with Misaki anymore. If you invite your female friend, do not go to your room because you might be lesbians.”
I explained, “We are not lesbians. She has a boyfriend.”
My host mother said, “Hina, if you do not want to go back to Japan, listen to what I say.”
I learned even if I state a correct argument, I have no chance of winning.
Three days later, my host mother called out from upstairs.
“Hina, come upstairs.”
I had been studying biology for the test the next day. I stopped studying and went upstairs. There were three Mormon sisters. It reminded me that my father warned me not to join any religion because it is difficult to quit. They looked like they wanted to recruit me, but I gently refused. I listened to what they discussed and about 30 minutes later, I said, “I need to study Biology. I am so sorry,” and went back to my room.
A month later, there was a school trip for international students.
My advisor said, “Please arrive at school by 8:40 a.m..”
I was supposed to take a school bus as usual.
My host mother said, “You should take a city bus. The school bus is a little bit late.”
I said, “The school bus usually arrives at 8:30 a.m..”
The next day, I left home around 8 a.m.. When I was waiting for the school bus, I had a phone call from my host mother, but I could see the bus coming. In Japan, we cannot take a phone call on the bus, so I thought I could not call on the bus in Canada either, so I hung up the phone call and messaged her.
I texted, “Don’t worry. I will arrive at school before 8:40 a.m..”
My host mother sent a message, “Why didn’t you listen to what I said? You should have taken a city bus. Answer the phone.”
I said, “I cannot answer the phone because I am on the bus.”
My host mother said, “I hope you miss the school bus.”
I thankfully arrived at school on time. I got on the bus and called my parents crying. I felt it was necessary to call them as soon as possible because I could not bear it any longer. I talked about what was going on and yelled at my parents on the bus because I was under a lot of stress. Two hours later, we arrived at Waterton, Alberta, Canada. As soon as we arrived, we had lunch together.
My English teacher said to me, “Are you Okay? You look tired.”
Yuri, a Japanese girl, and I looked at each other, and Yuri said, “You should show her all the messages with your host mother.”
I showed my English teacher all the messages. After seeing them, her face looked serious.
My English teacher said, “That’s bad. Your host mother is weird.”
The next day, my English teacher said, “I sent a message to your homestay company.”
I was confused for a moment because there is a rule that international students cannot talk about their host family to others. I was worried, but I got a message that I could change my host family. I went back home with a happy face. As soon as I arrived home, my host mother said, “You lied, the teacher does not know all the details.”
She got angry. I was confused and could not say anything.
I packed my clothes and belongings silently.
My host mother said, “That’s ours,” and pointed out my pants.
I explained, “I bought them for 60 dollars.” I had also written my name on my pants, so they were definitely mine. However, she tried to claim my pants as her own, but she gave up.
The next day, my homestay coordinator came and picked me up. I only said, “Good bye,” to them and got into my home stay coordinator’s car.
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実はここには書かれていない他の多くの「いじめ」というより「虐待に近いこと」がありました。
留学生が涙ながらに私に訴えかけたモンスターファミリーの行動は、人間としてもどうしても許せないことでした。
留学生自身が勇気を持って、モンスターと話し合いをしようとするたびに、モンスターホストファミリーからの決め言葉はいつも「文句を言うと帰国させるルールだから。」
ある時には、週末にHinaに予定があったにもかかわらず、無理やり家族キャンプに誘い、連れ出されました。ところが、キャンピングカーにはHinaの場所はなく、彼女だけが外で寝るということに。せめてキャンピングカーの中にあるトイレだけでも使わせてほしいと懇願したHinaには冷たい”No”が戻って来ました。
やっときっかけが掴めたのは、高校の先生がHinaとホストマザーのチャットでのやり取りを目撃したことから。
「私の言うことを聞かないあんたなんか、バスに遅れてしまえばいい。」
こんなことを未成年のしかも外国で頑張る高校留学生に投げつけるホストがいるんです。
「恥を知れ」です。
これが決め手となり、さすがの高校も放っておけず、ホストチェンジが許可されたわけです。
注意：最近のホームステイは、学区が自前でやっているところは数えるほどしかありません。ほとんどの学区は、外部ビジネスに丸投げ。トラブルが面倒くさいんだろうと思います。この留学生がエージェントから送られたホームステイ団体はカナダホームステイネットワークというところです。ここを通じてホームステイした日本人からのSOSは実に多いことも知っておいて下さい。
まず、脅し文句は「文句を言うと帰国させるから。」です。
こんな苦難の後もこの留学生は、カナダクラブからのサポートを頼りに学校も一生懸命頑張りました。次のホストも、訪問したことのある韓国人ご夫妻に頼み込み自分で見つけました。
本来は、その留学生が来た学区はカナダホームステイネットワーク以外からのステイ先は認めない方針でしたが、余りにも酷い目にあったその留学生のために、規則をまげて認めてくれました。
その留学生は、自分でみつけた韓国人ご夫妻（とてもいい方です。私も何度かお話をしました。）とその後の留学を続けましたが、やはり最初のモンスターホストファミリーからのトラウマが消えることはありませんでした。
最後に、その留学生をカナダに送ったエージェント。これも日本人留学生から多くのSOSが入るエージェントです。1番多いですね。
LINEを使い、「カナダは簡単、選択科目だけで卒業出来る。それも50％とればいい。」などのデタラメな情報で多くの日本人高校生を勧誘、騙しています。
ここではまだ名前を出すことは控えますが、これまで騙された方々から「公表して下さい。」という声がどんどん大きくなっているのが現状です。
先日、カナダ高校留学もひとつの選択肢になり得る時代になったかも知れないと、書きました。AI対応への教育が非常に進んだカナダと、目を覆うほど遅れている日本とを比べた場合です。
しかし、高校留学には、このような一生トラウマが残るようなモンスターに出会う可能性もあることを認識されることは、まだまだ必要なことです。
残念ながら。
カナダ高校留学についてご質問、ご相談のある方には、無料面談も提供しておりますので、ご連絡下さい。 こんな経験をする日本人高校生が2度と出ませんように。
大澤眞知子
Robert McMillan
《カナダクラブ》