I remember walking into my homestays house after a small welcome ceremony at the school his parents welcome me and feed me some chinese food for my jet lagged brain. We sat down at the dinner table there is so much food that it seems like a miniature feast.
The next day we went to school, learned tai chi and its basic tactics. During the afternoon we had a P.E. class and went to a class with our homestay. I went to history with my homestay, when we got to class everyone looked at me, it was like I was Waldo and they had all just noticed me. After class we walked home and crossed the intersection of a huge street. The cars were bustling about and honking to change lanes. That night we went on a ship and saw some of Suzhou sights from the water.
The next day we woke up very early and went to eat breakfast at a noodle shop nearby. Eating breakfast each day was always a learning experience because I got to know all about what they liked to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I ordered some noodles with beef in them, and sat down to eat with my homestay. The noodles I ordered were some the best I’d ever had, they tasted silky, and were not to sour or sweet.
That day we drove to school through the smoggy air and flashing yellow and red lights. The final day with my homestay went by like a blur and soon enough we were at another restaurant for dinner. They ordered the food that included duck tongue, chicken feet and a pumpkin dish. The duck tongue tasted a lot like beef, but the chicken feet were not some of my favorite because they were slimy and didn’t have enough meat on them.
I enjoyed my homestay visit in China and would definitely do it again. It was a great experience and I learned all about Chinese food and culture.
Hi Marb,
ReplyDeleteI really liked that you shared your homestay experiance. I found it interesting that Chinese kids take a tai chi class in school. When you were in China were you speaking Chinese the hole time?
Good job,
Katie
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post!
That is super interesting that you have been to China as an exchange student.
Chicken feet do not sound very good. :(
Great blog!
-Tulip
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI think it was really interesting to read about your home stay experience. I found it particularly interesting because I take Spanish and something like this could one day become possible for me. Was it hard to understand what people were saying sometimes? how did you deal with language boundaries?
Great Post!
-Sophia
Marb,
ReplyDeleteI think your post made other cultures seen a little different to me in the sense about the little things that make up the major belief or norms. Question: If you were an exchange student from China coming to the USA, how do you think that your perspective would change?
Good Post!
Rylan
Marb,
ReplyDeleteI liked your post a lot because I have felt like that in a way in Holland. I loved how you talked about all the activities you did. What was your favorite? Would you do another home stay?
Keep Writing,
Sanne
Dear Marb,
ReplyDeleteYour post is an incredible look into what it is like to be a foreigner in another country. You accurately describe the sensation of tasting the delicious food that a foreign country can offer. You also do justice to the sensation of being vastly different from the people that you encounter on the street. My one question for you is, where in china did you star?
Sincerely,
William
Hi,
ReplyDeleteThat was a really interesting thing to read about. I really liked your interesting metaphors, like the one where you said you were like Waldo. How did it feel to stand out so much?
Nice job!
Téa
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog post. It was cool to hear about your experience in China, and I could relate because I learn a lot about other food and cultures when I have gone to other countries too. My one question would be what was your favorite part about your homestay? Great work!
Sincerely,
Rachel Y.
Hi
ReplyDeleteIt was really interesting hearing about your experience in China. I grew up in China so it was interesting hearing about someone discovering a culture that is pretty familiar to me. Where did you stay in China ?
great post !
Eric
Hi
ReplyDeleteIt was really interesting hearing about your experience in China. I grew up in China so it was interesting hearing about someone discovering a culture that is pretty familiar to me. Where did you stay in China ?
great post !
Eric
Hi, Eric
DeleteThank you for your blog comment, I stayed in Su Zhou during my time as a home stay.
Hi Bram!
ReplyDeleteI really liked reading your post. You include a lot of interesting details while telling a story. Would you like to be a homestay somewhere else?
- Mikayla
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBram,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading about your experience. I liked how you explained your day and how you compared yourself to Waldo. Did you ever have trouble understanding people speaking in Chinese?
Kyra
Dear Bram,
ReplyDeleteI really like how you chose a topic that was very personal. I will eventually do this for French class, and I am very nervous to stay with people I have never met that probably don't speak English. Was staying with a family you had never met before scary? Did you have any trouble understanding people?
From,
Riley
Bram,
ReplyDeleteI like how your topic was personal to you. I will also be doing this someday in France for French, and I can imagine it being hard to communicate. My question is would you do another homestay if you had the chance? Nice Work
- Isabel
Hi Bram,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. You include a lot of detail and good information. I also really enjoyed reading the personal touch you added when you were telling your story. What similarities and differences did you notice between communities?
Great post,
Anushka:)
Dear Bram,
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you described the noodles as silky ( it made me really hungry). My question to you is what did your home stay get to eat at the noodle shop?
-Emma
Marb,
ReplyDeleteYour post is an incredible look into what it is like to be a foreigner in another country. You accurately describe the sensation of tasting the delicious food that a foreign country can offer! Would you take the chance if offered another opportunity to do a homestay?
Best,
-Flexi