Homestay

The day after my birthday celebration, I woke up at 8 am to go to Shenzhen for a homestay with the family of Will, a HKUST student whose family lives there. I was excited to go but 8 am after going out was a bit rough, but by the end of the 2-hour journey to his home from campus I was fine.  

First we stopped at his family’s apartment, which was very conveniently located right above the bus stop. His home was very similar to a regular apartment in the United States, minus having access to Facebook. One thing that was different was that when we entered we switched shoes from outside shoes to a pair of shoes for inside.

Shenzhen Government Building

Will and I left and took a bus to a tall hill that overlooks Shenzhen. Along the way Will pointed explained what all of the buildings we were passing were. My favorite was the Shenzhen Government Building. The architecture was just so large and flamboyant it was fascinating.

Shenzhen is hosting the World University Games this summer, so a lot of the city is under construction for improvements. Sometimes I am a little disappointed I am not staying for the summer like some exchange students. I could go to the University Games and the FINA World Aquatic Championships in Shanghai, but oh well.

We hiked up to the top of the hill overlooking the city. A lookout at the top had good views of the entire city and also had a giant statue of Deng Xiaoping, the leader of China during the Tiananmen Incident. According to Will, Shenzhen loves him though, because he is the person that pushed for Shenzhen to become one of China’s Special Economic Zones (Zones where the rules are much more capitalistic) which caused Shenzhen’s economy to flourish.

The rest of the afternoon, Will and I walked around Shenzhen and we shared aspects of our cultures. Something that surprised me in most of Shenzhen was the utter lack of foreigners. The border area that I had visited twice previously has many foreigners but in the rest of the city they are absent. One effect of this was when we were at lunch and Will asked them if they had an English menu, they just laughed.

After exploring the city, we went back to his home for dinner. When we arrived I got to meet his parents, who speak very little English. They were able to say hello though, and were amused when I said “ni hao” back. Dinner was an interesting experience. I had never eat a real Chinese meal before so I didn’t know what to expect. We started a bowl of soup, that you had to finish before you could eat other food, because it was your only dish. Thankfully I liked the soup, because I don’t know what would have happened if I hadn’t. After the soup was gone we filled our bowls with rice, and then served ourselves “family style” from a selection of a few dishes of meat and vegetables on the table. All of the food was very good. I wasn’t very hungry after lunch and didn’t eat much, though , and sadly Will’s mom thought I was because I didn’t like the food. I tried to tell her, through Will, that this was not true, but I don’t know if she believed me. After dinner we had some coconut milk to celebrate my birthday. I hadn’t told them it was my birthday before hand because I didn’t want them to make a big deal out of it, but it the coconut milk was a very nice treat.

After dinner, Will and I walked around his neighborhood and he showed me some of the places he went to school and other things from when he was growing up. He explained to me China’s system of exams for getting into High School and College. In primary school, all students are tested, and their results determine what High School they get into, and same for getting into college. The High School you go to has a large effect on your college exam results, so basically a test you take in primary school could determine the rest of your life.

The next morning we woke up and had dumplings and rice for breakfast. Usually dumplings are served for special occasions and holidays, so they made them for my birthday which was nice. I want to try making dumplings at home, it is something that is severely lacking in American food and I don’t know why. Fried bread with meat inside. Really I have no idea why there aren’t Dim Sum restaurants in the US like there are in China. Business Idea!

Bird people on the Beach

After breakfast, we headed out in his family’s car to explore the edges of Shenzhen. Our first stop was to drive into the Mountains nearby and look at the cool amusement parks and hotels there. It was a very cool place, and I am sure a bit more expensive than a hostel. We stopped for photos along the way a few times as well.  

Will's Parents with a popular chinese saying

Afterward we went to a nice beach. Sadly it was raining/cloudy so not a really good beach day, but it was still cool to visit. This beach will be the location of the beach volleyball for the University games, and because of that there are lots of cool buildings and sculptures surrounding it. It would be cool to visit on a clear day as well, because supposedly you can see Hong Kong.

For lunch we stopped at McDonalds because I had told them that the type of food I usually eat at home is burgers and pizza. Will’s mom didn’t think one meal was good enough for a “fat” boy like me, so she had me get another burger and also ordered me some chicken wings. This was a bit too much food for me, but I understand her view that she didn’t want her guest to go hungry.

We drove around Shenzhen for a bit more including visiting a Russian war ship that docked as an exhibit, similar to the aircraft carrier in New York. While there Will and I discussed our countries’ militaries and how they get soldiers in times of need. America had the draft, but China would just take people off the street and force them into the service. I can imagine at the times they needed this that people were afraid to even go out.

On our way back to his home, our car got rear ended by another. So I got to experience the cultural experience of arguing over what the damage would cost. Similar to the US if you are in an accident your rates go up (in China, your “discount is decreased”), so both parties wanted to avoid filling a report. Eventually they agreed on an acceptable price for the damages and we went back to Will’s home for dinner before leaving.

After dinner we took some group pictures, then Will and I headed back to HKUST.

Homestay Family

Half in Hong Kong (right) half in China (left)

Overall I very much enjoyed my experience in at the homestay, it was interesting to get a non-tourism view of China, and to eat an authentic Chinese meal. Will’s parents were very nice to me, and I very much appreciated their hospitality. As I could not really convey this directly to them, I made sure to tell Will to pass it on. If anyone on exchange has the opportunity for a home stay in your home country I would highly recommend it!