Orphan Annie

I got into Nanjing, China a few days ago and I am about to start an intensive Chinese language and culture program. During orientation I have been living in the Nanjing University International Students Dormitory but today I moved out.

I decided to live with a host family instead of in the dorms in hopes of gaining a more true perspective of life in Nanjing. The past couple of days we have been talking about what the families would be like. Where do they live? How many people are living there? Will they like me? Will they understand my broken Chinese?

I didn't know anything about the process of how they match host families with students. When I asked one of my classmates, they said they bring all the families in and one-by-one, they interview you. Then, a family will hopefully pick you. This sounded like trying to get adopted (or at least what they portray in movies). I didn't think (and hoped) this wasn't true. Why would a Chinese family want me when they could have a "real foreigner?" I know I don't quite look the part. Nobody likes being picked last at kickball.

Thankfully, the program matched up students with host families based on surveys we filled out. I didn't have to try to convince a family they should pick me. The family that got me is stuck with me, ha!

Today was the day I met my family. I think I have had a stupid grin on my face all day. (I am blogging now because I am too excited to sleep.) I was and am so excited to live in a house with a family. It was the greatest feeling to unpack my bags for the first time. I haven't stayed in any place longer than two weeks (Hong Kong) but I will be here for four months. That's a good chunk of time.

I have a home and a family! Sounds like a good day to me. What more could you ask for?

Three things I am grateful for:
1. Today we took a brutal Chinese proficiency test. I am glad I don't have to take another test like that until the end of the program.
2. I cannot tell you how great it feels to unpack all of my stuff. I have been shuffling stuff around in my backpack for over a month but now it is all placed nicely in the armoire. I got giddy hanging my clothes up.
3. I met my family! The parents are both engineers and their daughter is 11 years old. They told me to call her 妹妹 and she will call me 姐姐. Isn't that sweet? They also have an "auntie" that lives with them and helps around the house. I haven't spent much time with them yet but they seem like good people. I am the 11th foreign exchange student they have hosted. It is kind of funny that the auntie kept referring to me as 老外.