Sunday, August 28, 2011

Homestay in Nanjing


My arrival in Nanjing after a 17 hour train ride, I started to feel nervous to meet my new family, at the train station. I was greeted by my host sister’s cousin and her dad. I went to her home which was really nice, but I awaited my host sister’s arrival from her weekend classes. Dinners at my host home were very good, and always made by Sophia’s grandparents. Sophia’s parents lived in her hometown because their jobs are there. To get to school every morning, I had to get up at 6am every morning, which I wasn’t used to. Me and Sophia would take a really nice and clean train to school, and went to the Nanjing Foreign Language School. The school was huge, and beautiful. The children were very outgoing, kind, and enjoyed my visit there.

My stay with the host student was very different. The lifestyle wasn’t the same as American living. My student was always studying, and we didn’t spend a lot of time together. She was always on her phone, and talking to her friends. The experience was very different from my home and made me take more advantage of my home in New York and my family. Chinese culture and tradition is very beautiful and different from the US and I definitely saw that in my host home.

My last weekend, I went to Sophia’s home town and met her mom, which was a really good experience. She treated my like another daughter. She maid more attention to me than the daughter! Her house was a beautiful 3-story house with spiral staircases. Her parents took me to a mountain nicknamed “Bamboo Sea” and late in a restaurant that served on wild animals. The next day I went to a factory that showed how they make purple clay tea pots and cups, which is really popular in that area. As a souvenir they mom gave me a purple clay teapot.

Overall this experience with my host family was interesting and different. I learned many new things and it was really a once in a lifetime opportunity. I just wished me and my student would’ve bonded more. 

Alex


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