For about two weeks at the end of July and beginning of August, we decided to play host family for two teenage boys from Chongqing, China. I was embarrassed that I had never heard of Chongqing, a city of 25 million people, and I couldn't reliably pronounce the boys' Chinese names so we just called them by their chosen American names, Nick and David.
They were really nice kids and fun to have around. This was their first trip outside China, and our first opportunity to spend a lot of time with Chinese people. It was definitely interesting! Food was an especial challenge. David (the taller one with the bowl cut) would eat anything and everything in vast quantities. Luckily, he discovered that he loved peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, so between those and lots of packages of ramen noodles we managed to keep him from starving. Nick had a bit more trouble adjusting to American food and our propensity to eat lots of milk, cheese, citrus, and sweets. Fortunately, he brought packets of Chinese spices so he could cook for us.
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| "Spice up your life!" Um, no thanks. |
Yeah, we didn't ever feast on "chicken claws" (I can't imagine where I would buy them, they aren't exactly a grocery store staple) but I ended up several times making his spice mixes and putting them in the crock pot with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and Nick was more than content.
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| Hanging out. |
They weren't so sure about Indiana either, at first. I guess dogs are a bit of a luxury when you live in a tiny apartment in a crowded city. But they got used to her, and Nick got a kick out of giving her baths. They spent hours with Lucy and Gavin and the dog engrossed in the universal kid activities of video games and movies.
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| Soccer games. |
Another universal is sports. The boys couldn't believe we had a front yard big enough for soccer, and we ended up playing soccer out there almost every night. They were too scared to chase the ball when it went into the bushes (there might be bears, insects, snakes and dirt) and couldn't quite bring themselves to eat the raspberries, unwashed, right off the bush. Drinking out of the tap freaked them out a bit too -- apparently they have to boil the tap water before drinking. But if I filled a pitcher from the tap and put it in the fridge they were ok. The more time we spent with them, the more I realized that I would have a harder time adjusting to their culture than they had adjusting to mine.
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| Bowling. |
The highlight of their trip was a trip out to a bowling alley with some of the other host families. They had never bowled before but quickly picked it up. (The bumpers helped.) After bowling, they played air hockey with Gavin for an hour. It wasn't ping pong (Nick's specialty sport) but it was fun.
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| Air Hockey. |
A few other funny moments included shopping for swim suits, which the boys needed for a day at the pool with their program. They couldn't fathom why American males wear such enormous suits. I guess in China the style is more minimalist like Speedos. They kept trying to buy briefs to wear as swimsuits, and David nearly purchased a pair of spandex running shorts until I pointed out that they were women's and he recoiled in horror. In the end, we managed to get them appropriately outfitted for an American-style day at the pool but I bet they never wear those suits again.
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| Family photo at the bowling alley. |
They both wrote us nice thank-you notes when they left, but David's was especially sweet. He declared Austin a "wonderful gentleman" and me "an elegant lady." He thanked us in detail for all the things we did together, even church (which I know completely bewildered both boys). He said that saying goodbye would be hard but he must "refrain my tears from my eye sockets" because "I am a man" and can't cry.
Having them as part of our family was quite an adventure, and I'm so glad we did it. If we ever get a chance to visit Chongqing, I'm sure we'll enjoy a warm reception. Especially if we bring peanut butter and jelly and leave the dog at home.
