First Days at the Homestay

It's been a while! I have been so busy that I have had no time to write my blog. On Friday, after our 口语考试 (Oral Chinese Examination), we met our host families. We all went up on stage and were called to the front one by one. When we were called, our host family came on the stage, took a picture with us, and then we went to the dorms to collect our luggage and go to our new homes. What none of us realized is that a large percentage of us would be staying with millionaires. I saw some of the families drive up to the academic building and immediately noticed that all of their cars were extremely expensive. I tried not to jump to any conclusions about their economic status by the car they drove, but there is no arguing that nice cars require a substantial amount of money. Still, I kept a very open mind about everything, especially about my own families situation. We arrived to their building, and it was a huge tower. We pulled into the garage underneath, and took the elevator to their floor. On the 16th floor, which is the top, there are two units on either side of the tower. We walked in and I was surprised to see that the apartment actually had three whole floors! There is the first floor, where the kitchen, living room, my bedroom and bathroom are. It is tradition in China to take off your shoes before entering a home and putting on slippers, but in my host family's house, we wear a different pair on each floor. I don't think this is typical, but my 中国妈妈 (Chinese Mom, as I am instructed to call her) believes that doing so will keep the dirt on the first floor, even though I think the first floor is spotless. Of course I oblige to all the small, seemingly silly rules, because they are kind enough to welcome me into their home. On the second floor, there is the laundry room which is in a sun room with huge windows and a beautiful view, Wenjing's (my host brother's) room, the shower that we both use, and a staircase that goes up. The third floor has the master bedroom and a cool view of the entire apartment. See the photos page for pictures of the apartment. I didn't get to meet my host dad for a few days because he was in Beijing for a business trip. He returned, and I enjoy talking to him. He is sometimes a little easier to understand than my host mom, but they both have strong accents as Mandarin is not their mother-tongue. Interestingly enough, they both speak the dialect of Fujian, called Min Nan Hua, but they purposefully did not teach their son to speak it or understand it so they could have a way to communicate with each other without Wenjing hearing. I was of course nervous from the horror stories I have heard about what host families have fed their America guests and how the food is sometimes never-ending, but my family is very healthy and eats a good amount but the food is never strange and they always trust me when I say that I am full.