Homestay weekend

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Trip Start May 28, 2008 Previous
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  Shanghai, China
Sunday, July 13, 2008

Hello everyone,

Not much new this week. Classes went as usual. I had my first Chinese gourd playing lesson, and my last painting class (picture attached). This week, friends and I visited many different attractions in Shanghai, primarily bars. On Friday we (teachers and students) went out to a German bar for a big meal. I ordered from the children's menu and was still stuffed. There are very many Germans in Shanghai, and several of the teachers have studied the language. After dinner, the students went out to the grand opening of a British pub called Shanghai Bulldog, which was really very fun, aside from the fact that we had to be up early the next morning. Saturday was a big day for us because it was the day of our homestay, which means that we get to stay with a Chinese family for a day or day and night. I chose one day, and my roommate and I went together to visit one of our teacher's family

sunset through smoke on highway

. However, things didn't quite work out as planned- apparently, her parents were sick and couldn't host guests, so we went to one of her friend's apartment (they say house (fang2zi) in Chinese but no one actually has a house in Shanghai because there's no room) where we met the mom and dad. Her friend works all day so we didn't get to see him. The man immediately went out and walked his dog for an hour or so, and the woman disappeared into the kitchen to make lunch, leaving us with our teacher on the couch to watch tv and snack on watermelon. When lunch time rolled around, we got to taste true Chinese cooking- not something I care to try again. Among the dishes were pig liver, chicken neck, and some tofu with "100 year old eggs" in it. I tried to stick to vegetables, but of course we had to try everything to be polite. We chatted, and after dinner the woman wanted to see how well we wrote chinese so she gave us "homework" of writing her family's names. Since we had come on such short notice, she apologized because she had previously made plans with a friend and had to leave. The husband mysteriously disappeared for awhile, leaving us to play with his amazing mahjong table and adorable dog, before returning with 4 friends to play mahjong. None of them talked to us. After dozing off several times, we were finally permitted to leave and I took a nap at the dorm. Though this might not sound bad, compared to others' experiences it was nothing. Others went to see a movie in theaters, went to Shanghai's professional soccer game, went to karaoke bars... I'm not happy with the way ours turned out. Anyway, today I was able to sleep in late and now I'm getting started on my homework, including the essay I'll have to write about my unhappy homestay experience.

Besides all this, I'm becoming quite sad knowing that classes are almost over. We're having to start preparing for our final presentation on "China night," and after this week we only have one test left. What I really regret is not making plans to travel after the program- other people are going to Hong Kong, Beijing, Thailand, and Mongolia/Russia. I feel like since I'm here I should have seen more since I don't know when I'll have this opportunity again, but alas, it's quite expensive. In the coming week, I'll have another gourd playing class, I'll venture to H&M where I hear there's a sale, and since painting class is over, I think the students will host one in our study lounge. Hopefully I'll get more sleep this week! Also, don't forget we're traveling to Moganshan this weekend- yay! That's all for now, zaijian/zao.
Love, Luolan

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

bikes and bamboo	friends at bar	friends at bar	friends at bar
doggie	roommate, doggie, teacher	cool mahjong table machine	church in 1930s era Shanghai
living quarters	1930s era Shanghai	beads	lotus pods for snacking
1930s era Shanghai	Qipu lu/ Cheap road, famous bargaining area	cranes	my latest painting

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