Host Family: Day 3 ^_^

Hi everyone! 

Today I have no school because the program wants to give us a chance to get to know our families. My host family is great. They let me sleep in (until 7:30 am). When I wake up there is a freshly made 包子 (meat bun) waiting for me and they promptly make me a cup of 奶茶 （milk tea). Today we have been invited by another host family to go out. Fortunately, I'm good friends with the guest of the other host family so I'm excited. We ride out of the city all the way into the country side. We ride until there are no more roads to be driven on-and even then we get out and walk a dirt path through some open farmland. We get to a bunch of large old fashion buildings with pots, pans, fruits, and chairs outside. The irony of this area is that I would assume that these farmers are poor, but it's quite the opposite. They have an old fashioned 3 story Chinese house equipped with all of their necessities. They also have a 2nd house down the road that they're grandparents built and that they have preserved. The house has people coming in and out so I really can't tell who lives there and who doesn't. There are about 5 children 12-20 adults, and 5 teenagers. They have boiled peanuts, watermelon, and fresh tea  waiting for us. We go out to their farmland and pull the fruits and vegetables straight out of the ground. The fruits and vegetables in China are so large and nutrient filled. Their 桃子 (peaches) are both big and tasty. When we walk back to the house with the fruits of our labor, the cooks take them and immediately start cooking. We take family photos and the food is laid out on the table. Everything is extremely fresh-sometimes too fresh - waiting to be eaten. Our host bring out plate after plate to ensure all their guests are well fed. Afterwards, we start playing with the younger kids and start talking with the elders. My friend shows them a picture of me dancing. We all discuss my hair and how it's done. I show them how to braid. They say I braid quickly. We take more pictures. We visit the second house and get a real life history lesson. The house had been built by the ancestors of the other host mother. The inside was well constructed an consisted of a small courtyard, a memorial, a kitchen, and several other rooms. We take one last walk back to the large farm  house before we go home. We take all of our freshly picked vegetables in the kitchen and immediately start chopping. After about an hour of chopping, folding, and taste testing, our merged families are ready to eat. We eat until we are吃饱了 （full) and then we all sit around the house a relax together.


I love that I can wake up on the opposite side of the world, yet feel just as comfortable as I do at home. I think it's because these people, this land, and this culture-this is my home <3