柏徐扬

我家接待的是Reese同学，通过短短一周的时间，我和Reese同学建立了深厚的友谊。他帮助我学习英语，给我讲解美国的NBA，给我介绍他的家人和他的理想。 Reese弹得一手好吉他，他还会弹钢琴，篮球打得一级棒。我和他一起吃中国美食，一起学包饺子，一起品中国绿茶。我绞尽脑汁向他展现中华上下5000的灿烂文明，Reese觉得不可思议并且非常敬佩中国源远流长的历史以及如此深厚的文化底蕴，表示将来有机会，他一定会再来中国学习。

在共同生活的一星期中，我们互帮互助，促进了文化的进一步交流，让我感受到了中美两国的不同习俗和文化差异，感谢学校给予我这么宝贵的交流机会！

柏徐扬家长

这个星期，我家来了一位美国小伙伴，白白的皮肤，深邃的蓝眼睛，配一头棕色的卷发，特别的阳光帅气，一看就让人着迷。小朋友很有礼貌，儿子也是分外殷勤。一路上，两个小伙伴，叽里呱啦，聊个不停，半点没有生疏感，要知道，他俩可是隔着半个地球那么远啊，却像是两个久未谋面的老友，互述衷肠。他俩一起遛狗，一起逛古镇，一起吃火锅，一起做英语作业。在互动中，儿子对学习英语更加热情，美国小伙伴的自信，乐观，深深地感染了儿子。帅小伙的到来，给我们家增添了温馨，快乐，我们很感谢Reese来到我们的生活中。

欢乐的时光总是那么短暂，短短一个星期，真是受益匪浅！非常感谢校方的信任，不仅仅是孩子，我们家长也都体验了把带俩娃的乐趣，非常感谢！

Reese Gardner

4/22/19

My Experience as an Exchange Student

My exchange family was very welcoming and accommodating. After being aboard the bullet train for much of the first day, I got to make dumplings with Bai Xu Yang’s grandparents. Furthermore, upon my initial arrival my family had my own bedroom set up for me. They were cognizant of my passion for music, thus kickstarting the bond between my exchange kid and I under the commonplace of playing guitar. I felt that the second week of my trip was also a much more authentic perspective on Chinese culture. Although I was not hopping from one tourist attraction to another, I still felt that I was always occupied. I learned something new about both my host family and Chinese culture as a whole every day. The experiences I had were unforgettable, ranging from playing basketball before breakfast with Bai Xu Yang to finding simple novelty in navigating a Chinese supermarket.

Moreover, I felt that there was never a significant language barrier between my host family and I. I was able to speak 80% of sentences necessary. Furthermore, my phone helped the ease of communication, and I never felt uncomfortable asking for anything. Bai Xu Yang’s understanding of English was far better than I expected, and he served as the translator between his parents and I. While he taught me important Chinese words and phrases, I helped him with English homework, so the learning was mutual. Lastly, I feel that my time with my exchange student and family inspired me to further my study of the Chinese language.

Thirdly, the family was aware that I was more sensitive to certain Chinese foods. However, I never felt uncomfortable with anything we ate, and I put it out there that I was up for anything. Thus, my family and I ate a variety of fruits, vegetables and other foods that helped to give me a more expansive knowledge of the local cuisine. It also cannot be ignored that my host family sent an entire suitcase full of snacks and other rarities home with me to America. By doing so, they passed down their own traditions to my family as well. I am so grateful that they took the time to do this.

If I had to change anything, it would be a better communication among exchange students. Although I understand that each family has a different schedule, I would enjoy one time where all my classmates and their exchange kids could gather outside of a school setting.

Finally, and above all, I felt that my host family treated me as one of them. At the restaurant, I felt like a fellow family member laughing along with them at my chopstick blunders. They constantly told me to act as though it were my home, which gave me a sense of comfort in a place where many foreigners would feel out of place. They also mentioned how I was always welcome to visit their house the next time I visited Shanghai. This provided me further incentive to pursue Chinese in college and perhaps study abroad in Shanghai. In conclusion, my host family added a priceless experience in China that could not be replicated,

 and I hope to one day take them into my home as well (although I’m going to college soon, maybe my brother can).