So on Wednesday I moved in with my host family, I have a father, mother and older sister. They have a good size apartment very close to school (it's like a 10 minute walk to my classes), their level of English is comparable to my level of Chinese, in other words, not good. They are very sweet people though and have been very welcoming of me into their home. We spend a lot of time pointing at various objects, them saying it me repeating and them laughing (I can say, chopsticks, bowl, cup, very good, hello, goodbye and thank you fairly well).
The living conditions are pretty comparable to that of the US, but at the same time there are some differences for sure. For instance they have a nice plasma TV with surround sound and a big fish tank, but there is no shower curtain. Also there is no central heating in China (not that I've found at least) so instead of baseboard heaters they have heater/AC units on the walls, but they never use them. I can literally see my breath in the apartment, I swear some days it's warmer outside than in.
The reason for this is apparently because utilities, electricity in particular is very, very expensive. Before moving into our hosts family the staff at CIEE made sure that it was clear that we should make certain to turn off light and switches of power strips when we leave a room. I'm starting to get use to this no heat thing, I definitely did not bring enough warm clothes, but I have to keep reminding myself that it will probably be uncomfortably warm in a short month.
Another different and perhaps concerning feature of the host family life is that after dinner, rather than clearing the leftovers (which we always have, they make way too much food) they simply leave it on the table and but a mosquito net over it. We had shrimp (I didn't eat it mom) the first night I was here on Wednesday, it's Saturday now and the same shrimp are still on the table. I guess it's so cold that there is no need to refrigerate.
Overall been having a lot of fun with them so far, they have been very kind and are taking good care of me.
P.S. sorry about the lack of photos, I can't figure out how to put them on and I tried to e-mail a few home the other day and it wasn't going to happen, the Internet connection just isn't that good. I'll see if I can't get it to work later on.
-AL
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You mean that there are people who keep the house cooler than I do? I guess being home for a while this winter was good preparation for being in China!
ReplyDeleteGlad you stayed away from the shrimp. Have you figured out a way to tell them that you are allergic so that they don't think you're just a picky eater?
It's interesting that leftovers don't get put away. I wonder if there's something in the preparation that helps keep the food from spoiling. Do other host families do the same or do you just have a quirky family?
I hope learning to turn off the lights stays with you when you get back home...Love you! Mom
Hey Andrew,
ReplyDeleteWe're so glad that Mom gave us your blog address; this is going to fun and very informative for us, as we kind of trail you around on your Chinese adventure. I must say we were somewhat aghast about what happens to leftover food; do they really eat it after it's been standing around for who knows how long?
I always wanted to be biligual (Bill couldn't care less!) but I would NEVER have thought about trying Chinese; I had enough trouble with French and German.
We'll be checking in most days to follow the adventures unfolding for you.
Peace and love, Bill & Marilyn Voorhies (AKA lynnyv4)
Yes they do keep the house cooler than at home, and it's not that they don't notice, lots of hot water and warm layers. I don't think they do anything special to the food (they threw the shrimp away yesterday), and I'm thinking the shrimp may have been an exception, most leftovers only last an extra day.
ReplyDeleteHey Andrew: Finally got up to speed on posting to this thing. Old dogs, new tricks...!
ReplyDeleteGlad everything is good over there. I have questions. How do you keep the water in the tub without a shower curtain? How did your host family become a host family? Is your "sister" in school? What is the average temp during the day and at night? Does the food not smell after sitting out for days? (Can't imagine waking up to the smell of shrimp.) What are the ages of the migrant kids that you'll be teaching?
Keep the info coming. We love you!!!
If it's cooler than 41 degrees Fahrenheit, the shrimpies might be okay. Hahaha. Your blog is great, I need to figure out how to become a follower, so I'm not a sketchy "anonymous" person.
ReplyDeleteTake care!!!
- Kaileigh
Andrew, Steven and Andrew were in school this week. Steven said you've got a blog. Interesting reading it!....hang in there - the language piece is bound to come. On a lighter note, it probably makes those French verb conjugations seem easy by comparison.
ReplyDelete