Stories from my Homestay

On one of the first nights I arrived at my homestay, I had a very terrifying experience when taking a shower. The bathroom is very nice and modern, and always looks very clean. On night while I was getting in the shower, I noticed a cockroach (or in Chinese, 蟑螂) crawling all over the sink countertop. I almost screamed but I stopped myself, and for obvious reasons (like the fear of death) ket my eye on it the whole time I was in the bathroom. At the end, I grabbed my stuff and sprinted out of the door. It was a little traumatizing, and I told Wenjing that he is no longer allowed to sleep until I am done showering so he can get rid of any 蟑螂 that are living in the bathroom.

My host family has a swimming facility in their very large neighborhood, and has a few indoor pools, and an outdoor one too. Certain parts of the club are very nice and clean, and others are definitely at a lower standard than what we are used to back home. For example, you can't see more than 10 feet away in the water. I think this has to do with the high number of people that swim in the pools everyday. The locker rooms are also a little gross. However, each time I went I had a great time. Just last night we actually went to the pool with Shanna and her host sister, Sharon. I think its not common in China to play games when you go to the pool or have loud conversations, because we were joking and doing normal pool things and everyone was looking at us and giggling. We weren't being abnormally loud, but we did end up playing a game of Marco Polo in the pool that we shared with a lot of other people.

Shanna's host father is a businessman, but not just any businessman. One of the companies he has ownership of is a go-kart (跑丁车) company. So, for very little cost, he took us all to the go-kart track and we got to go twice. It was so much fun - the cars went so much faster than in America and there is no waiver or the strict regulations that we are used to. I would have won the last race if I hadn't spun out at the beginning. This is one of the cool parts of being friends with Shanna. I also get to go over to her house which is right next door. Sometimes we go over and eat a late-night snack or just hang out and play cards.

My host brother loves to play soccer, but that is not his only extra-curricular activity. He also is an expert calligrapher and has been learning how to draw calligraphy for over ten years. It is very impressive to watch him - it always looks digital because he has such an incredible command of the ink and brush. He taught me how to do calligraphy, and while mine did improve a lot, his ability is extremely difficult to match.