“When I entered my new home I was surprised by how modern it was. It was very quiet, a strong contrast of the outside world. It felt very similar to my own home in America. My family was very loving and caring, and constantly showered me with attention. My mom bought me chicken nuggets, which I think was an effort to make me feel at home. I gave them my gifts, which included chocolate and a snow globe with my city in it. I wasn’t feeling well that night, so my mom decided to cook me a delicious meal that consisted of porridge and various types of Chinese breads and meat. It was very unlike what I normally eat at home, but I still enjoyed eating it with my family. The next morning all the families met together to enjoy a fun day together at the summer resort. We played a mixture of Chinese and American games, and all had fun in the summer heat. Throughout the whole week we had crazy adventures, such as climbing Hammer Mountain, singing crazy karaoke, and climbing the Great Wall of China. The best part of this week was connecting with our Chinese host families and friends through different activities. We taught each other slang words in our languages, and learned hip hop together. All in all, the time we spent together is going to be memorable throughout all our lives.” –Tanzilla
“After traveling from Beijing to Inner Mongolia and back we’ve reached the heart of the Northern China Experiment, the first of two homestays. We arrive in city of Chengde in the early afternoon and grab a bite to eat at a very nice restaurant with couches and western bathrooms. afterwards we relax for a bit and practice our introductions to our homestay families. Liu Hao, our Chinese experiment leader, explains to the families certain particularities with our group, such as hour long showers and our resistance to being spoiled. We’re then paired off one by one and released into the arms of our loving new host family and torn from the safety of our fellow English speaking Americans.” –Angela
