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Fun with my new family

China exploring 厦门 host family NSLI-Y 厦门

I could eat all of these in one sitting 

Sunday was our first day without classes!!! The entire day was dedicated to free time, or that's at least what we all thought. But no, our host families took full advantage of this day to show case their new 外国人. There is a WeChat groupchat with all the host parents and the chaperones; us kids nicknamed it the "Brag Chat" because all the host parents do is send each other pictures of their host children doing fun stuff. It has become a competition: who can do the coolest/ funniest thing with their student. Most families in China wrap dumplings (包饺子）on Sunday so they can freeze them and eat them throughout the week. Therefore, on Sunday the Brag Chat was filled with "my dumplings are better than you dumpling" pictures. My host mom took multiple pictures, from multiple angles, to showcase my "非常好" dumpling making skills.

Here is how you make dumplings:
1) buy meat: my host mom and the maid went out to their local market and bought ground beef and chicken
2) chop up chives (also bought at the market)
3) mix the meat and chives together and add salt and pepper

4) using the dumpling dough you bought at an earlier time, place a spoonful of the meat and chive mixture into the middle of the dough
5) fold the dough and pinch the edges closed
6) place them on a pre-floured pan and freeze

Simple right? Well apparently half of the guys in my group could not do it. One said, and I quote, "It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do".

After making dumplings we had lunch: fish, rice, tofu, and veggies. Then at 4:00pm my host family (minus the mom, baby boy, and nanny) went Go-Karting with Skylar and his host brother. I learned later that my host dad is an invested for the Go-Karting company we went to. It was interesting. If we went to a place like that in America we would be forced to sign a ton of waivers promising not to sue, but in China all they cared about was getting your money, no forms or anything. We raced twice. The first time I ran off the road and had to be dragged back on by one of the helpers. I hope that doesn't reflect my actually driving considering I am less than 3 months away from getting my license. Anyways, the second time I tied for first place! In between racing we had a snack．I got a nice, COLD, mango smoothie. They also ordered DELICIOUS fires and chicken fingers for the table to share.

Ready to beat all of them (we look so funny)

Delicious mango drink with my sisters

After racing the second time, we meet the rest of the families at a fancy dancy restaurant that was practically on the ocean! And of course, since they are rich, they paid for a separate table on the rooftop. The food was really good though, and filling. After eating so much, us kids played a game. It was sort of like "Heads Up" an American game where you hold up your phone and it displays words as other people try to describe it to you. But there was a twist: the entire game was in Chinese!!! That made it really hard. But luckily Skylar and his host brother's friend was on my team so they helped me a lot.

We then came back home and Skylar and his host brother came over to play cards. I taught everyone how to play Spoons, and they LOVED it. We played so many rounds, even after Skylar and his host brother left, my sisters still wanted to play! I'm surprised they haven't asked me today to play again.

After getting a good nights sleep, I woke up at 7:15 for class. Aidan's host dad drove Skylar and I to class again and Skylar's dad picked us up. Class was the same as usually, except everyone was talking about their host family activities. After school my host sisters and I went shopping. On the way to the mall (which is a 5 minute walk from the house) we stopped at Pizza Hut for dinner. Unlike in America, Pizza Hut is a high class restaurant. The way it was laid out reminded me on California Pizza Kitchen back home. There were people who would open the door for her, someone to lead you to a table, and more people to serve you. Their pizza's we also a lot fancier, but smaller. We all 3 shared an "everything pizza" and by everything I am including shrimp (of course, everything in 厦门 has sea food on it) and chicken wings. Once we were done eating we went to a shopping mall next door called "California City Plaza Mall". There I bought a pair of shorts and a shirt for super cheap! I also got a mirror so I can do my makeup in my AC room instead of the hot bathroom!

my host sisters