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Chinese family home-stay experiences of two German girls who study at International Business School, BFSU.
International Business School (IBS) of Beijing Foreign Studies University has launched a program in June 2015 – helping overseas students to find FREE Chinese home-stay. After several months’ time, let’s hear about the Chinese home-stay experiences of two German girls.
Homestay Program (IBS SolBridge)
In the end we only regret the chances we didn´t take the decision to participate in the homestay program, offered by the IBS department of BFSU, was the best choice I could have made. Until now there was no point, where I considered another accommodation option. Every day I am getting so many opportunities to learn new things about China and Chinese culture. My host family is like a second family for me which tries to help me with the issues of my daily life and assists me in my attempts to improve my language skills.
As I arrived in China I hardly could speak any Chinese, but together with my host family we found other methods to communicate with each other. As long as you are trying your best, you can overcome almost every barrier in your way. It can be helpful to visit some famous places or to cook together in order to get to know your host family and their values. The most important thing is not to be afraid of making mistakes, nobody is perfect and Chinese people are aware of cultural differences. Sometimes it can be difficult to convey your thought and opinion, but nowadays life is fast changing and you have to adapt quickly to new circumstances. So, see this unique chance as a lesson worth learning for the future which will be definitely useful. Furthermore, you need not to be afraid of not making friends at university and missing out on spending some time with them. I can ensure you that you can have both, a good relationship to your host parents and also fun with your class mates.
Despite of having English lessons and doing your course assignments, there is enough time to explore the country with other exchange students. So, do not wait until it is too late and apply for the homestay program. There is a high probability that it will be an amazing and unforgettable time.
Kristina Ibragimov
My live in a Chinese host family
Living with a Chinese host family is not the same as staying with a host
family when I was in High School. The most important point is, to give yourself and the Chinese family time to get to know each other. It needs a bit time to give up the shyness to share personal information, especially for the Chinese, but when they accept you as a family member, they do all that you feel comfortable.
I have much more freedom (there is for example no time, when I am supposed to be at home), but at the same time there is more responsibility as well. Teaching English is not hard for me at my host family, because most of the time I am just helping my little host-sister with her English homework.
From the very beginning I was accepted as a full family member and they called me 大姐姐 (big sister). As I felt sometimes guilty, that I receive very much, but return too few, I looked after the children a couple of times, although that was not my responsibility. But I felt very happy, that my host-mother trust me that much, to leave her children with me. To get to know me and my cultural background better, I cooked for them several times and once I went with them to the German Christmas Market here in Beijing.
When I cooked for them, my host-mother was very interested in what I am preparing and how to prepare it and I was very happy that they really liked the German food I cooked for them. The day we went together to the German Christmas Market was very nice as well. It was at the German embassy and we ate a lot of typically German Christmas food, drank punch and enjoyed the atmosphere.
But not only I tried to give them as much knowledge about my culture, they really tried to show me the Chinese culture as well. In the first week they asked me, what my favorite Chinese food is. As I answered, that I really like 饺子 (Chinese dumplings), they prepared it for me the weekend after that and several weeks later my host-mother showed me, how to cook it. It was very funny, because it looks very easy, but frankly it is really hard and I kind of failed to make them.
Every time we did something together, I got to know a little bit more about the family. In the beginning we all were very shy in sharing information and although I was called really early "big sister“, at first I didn't feel like part of the family. But after two weeks, we got to know each other much better and at the latest at the „Moon Festival“, when normally the whole family eats moon cake together while watching the moon, I really felt like a part of the family.
I never regretted the choice to stay with my host-family, in fact, it was the best choice I could make before coming to China. My Chinese improved much more quicker than just learning it in class, I really got to know the Chinese way of living and I could at the same time participate in the student live at the university like everybody else. I am part of the football team of the university, traveled with friends around China or just enjoyed the weekends visiting interesting things here in Beijing.
Alexandra Ruppert
International Business School, BFSU provides English-instructed business program at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. For more information, please visit: http://bfsu_solbridge.admissions.cn/ or contact us here.