I Have a Host Family!
Hey all! I finally know where I’m going in the giant land that is China: Harbin! It’s a large city in Heilongjiang, the northernmost province in China. According to Wikipedia, Harbin is known as the “Oriental Moscow” for its Russian influence and architecture. The food is also supposed to have a Russian influence, with a specialty in bread and sausages. The average temperature in Harbin during the winter is a w
hopping -16°C (3°F) and 21°C (70°F) in the summer. It’s rated one of the most beautiful cities in China, which I don’t doubt at all. From the pictures and GoogleEarth I’ve seen, it’s absolutely gorgeous.
I’ll admit it, as soon as I found out where Harbin is I was like “Wait…what?” I mean, I’m from California. I’m dreadfully uncomfortable in 50°F, and my ideal summer day easily breaks 100 before noon. When I was asked, I said I wanted to be in the South for this very reason. I wasn’t really angry or upset, but I thought “C’mon, I didn’t ask for Beijing or Shanghai; it was a simple request!” Now that I’ve looked into the city though, I’m so sure it’ll be a great place for me. That seems to be a prevailing theme in my exchange experience; at first I’m skeptical and sort of forced in one direction, only find that it really is the best fit for me. I remember when I was told to go to China, I couldn’t imagine me being there of all the places, now I can’t imagine going anywhere else. So that’s that’s the lesson in this one, kids; have control of your experiences, but don’t bite and scratch too hard if you don’t get the exact specifications of your way. Chances may be that you’re getting exactly what you want, a few months before you realize you want it. I guess I should be thankful that I have people who know me better than I know myself for this sort of thing.
Anyway, back to Harbin. I’m in love! It’s, as I’ve mentioned, close to Russia. I’ve always loved Russia as a country, and it’s so cool that I’ll be able to experience the beauty of Russian architecture while I’m in China. I haven’t found a picture of my specific school yet, but the Harbin public schools are extraordinary. They’re like something out of a modern art museum, some even have courtyards and statues and fountains! *Gush* Compared to the *ahem* lacking architecture of Chico, it’s quite a nice change. It’s cold, yes, but it’s not as if I haven’t lived in the cold before. I’ll survive. So all in all, I’m really happy with my placement.
Ooh! Once again, I’ve gotten side-tracked and completely forgot to talk about the main thing I came to report! As the title says, I have a host family! I’m going to be living with the Chens. My hostfather, Chen Fangbin (like most Asian languages, Chinese place the family name first) is a teacher, while my hostmom, Wang Wei (women keep their family names after marrying) is a doctor. They have a daughter my age named Dianhong, though she’ll be in America during my stay. (If she decides to blog, maybe I’ll ask her to link it here.) I don’t know much more as of yet, but I’ve emailed Mr. Chen a few times, and he seems very nice. As always, I’ll update this page as soon as I receive more information.
Anyway, as of today I have 1 month and 4 weeks until I board my plane to China. I’ll post between now and then, most likely later on when discussing preparation and my goodbyes. *Sniffle* Until then!
Oooh, *psst* There’s a webring of other exchangers as well. So be sure to check them out!
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Pre-Departure
Ok, I told myself that even if I did decide to write a blog it wouldn’t be started ages and ages beforehand, where it’s stuffed with mundane ‘not-actually-on-exchange’ posts. (After all, this is an exchange blog, so I’m assuming everyone reading isn’t terribly interested in what I had for breakfast, or how much homework I have.) Yet as I progress through all the application and pre-departure process, I have a feeling this is a time I’ll want to look back [and laugh] at while/after my exchange. So, I’m going to make a quick post about my pre-departure, just about expectations, preparations, and stresses accompanying it. Forgive me and skip over it if you’d prefer.
So, my application’s all in and there are plenty of spots left for China. My AA called, and I need to get a TB test, check my immunization records, and hound down my counselor to write me a recommendation. Fantastic, because this whole process hasn’t been like pulling teeth from my father and counselor. To be honest, I have no idea when I last got immunized, so I’m prolly going to have to go to the doctor and get a ton of shots as soon as possible. That’s going to be a ball to ask my father about. My counselor has been lovely, but a bit preoccupied and lazy. It takes me 2 or 3 planned meetings to see her, and when I finally do meet her, I may not get what I need. After four or five of these false starts, she tells me “I know AFS, they don’t really need a recommendation.” -.- I knew she was just trying to avoid it when she said it, but I just waited for it to be brought up. I, not wanting to deal with it anymore, just gave her the email of my AA and told her to give it directly to him. Damn it people. I’ve learned something from this though, and that’s that I could never be a supervisor. Oh well, *Checks off list*
So I won’t post again until I have something more interesting to say (with pictures?). I’ll just revise this post when [knock on wood,] I get accepted for AFS USA, and later AFS China. Until then, have fun!
UPDATE: April 20th 2008– Alright, so it’s been a while. I’ve gotten my recommendation (All 4 sentences; Jesus Christ my counselor is lazy) and my med tests (as much fun as I anticipated) into AFS America. I was officially accepted by AFS USA on Tuesday, April 7th, 2008! It was so amazing, and so gut-wrenching, because I hadn’t heard from my AA for days and I was very very close to the deadline (April 11th, later moved to April 30th). Another step in the anticipation process was over!
Ah, but the work’s not done yet. I still need to make a picture packet about me and my life to send in for China (since, frankly, the one’s I put in my application sucked). It’s kinda hard, because I’m not really a camera type of person, but fun, because it’s a great excuse for going out and doing things! I’m nearly done with pictures of family, pets, school, friends, with only activities and pictures of me (*sheepish smile*) left. I’m taking my time to do it right this time. I hope my AA won’t mind the wait.
Well, I have another 2-4 weeks before I hear back from China, so I guess that’s going to be my next big update to this. Until then!
Another Update! May 9th, 2008- I love coming on here, because it’s always good news. Well, it’s been a while, so I’ll back track. I’ve received my Culture Trek packet that I was so excited for and it was…well, as lame as everyone told me it would be. xD, Seriously, I suppose I see why they issue it, but it’s pretty basic stuff: People will be different there, so don’t jump to conclusions, remember to read between the lines. The pre-departure was much the same.
OH! The Pre-Departure! That deserves a whole new paragraph, seriously. Ok, first of all, it was the day after prom, in Nevada city of all places. You want boondocks, that’s the place (sorry NC ^.^;; ). Anyway, so prom being the night before, we got NO sleep. I wish now that I was exaggerating. Anyway, we head up there, we being Yen, her mother, my father and I, and the two of us can’t keep our eyes open. So we arrive and I’m literally holding my lids up, so I tell Yen I need a caffeine pill. Y’kno, one of those ‘two cups of coffee’ things. Well, half of the people reading this are probably already laughing, but for everyone who needs a bit of filling in I’m hypersensitive to caffeine. I’m sitting in the chair like a little crack baby, with so much boost my leg wouldn’t stop moving. We were told to stand up, say who we were and where we’re going, and then say something in our host language. Me, on my caffeinated self, had only one phrase come to mind; Wo bu yao la! – basically “I don’t wanna” or “I don’t want it”. So basically the lady said “Lee, now say something in your host language” and I replied “I don’t wanna!” xD Yen and her mother started dying laughing, while everyone else smiled politely. I dunno if my dad knew what I meant, but he got the tone all the same, because I got that look I get when I tell a mean joke. ;D Anyway, about the people in our area, I don’t remember them all, as I was a bit out-of-sorts at the time, but we have about 15-16 people. A boy going to Norway, a girl to Switzerland, a girl to Ghana, A boy and girl to France, 4 (3 girls one boy) to Japan (*Waves to Alisha*), 2 boys to Chile and Costa Rica, a girl to Italy and…that’s all I remember. We talked about basic safety stuff, expectations and fears, the whole ‘Culture Trek’ shebang. Speaking of expectations, I’m going to write this one down, so it’s ON RECORD. I want to get more active in China. Riding bikes, walking more, doing taichi in the park with the old ladies, I don’t care!
Oh, now what I really came here to update for. I’ve been accepted by AFS China! Yep, now I have a guarantee that they’re gonna put me somewhere in the country. I’m going. It’s finally final. No more worrying about going back to school, no more freak outs about backing out. As long as I don’t seriously fuck up, I’m gonna be in China by the end of September. God, what a rush.
So I suppose the next update in this extraordinarily long post will be my host family or school designation. Maybe I’ll post some pictures of stuff here in California, just to give a feel of the shift. By the way, don’t expect a post this long coming from me ever again. I’m too lazy for it xP. Until then!
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