This summer, 10 students and two faculty members are traveling to China to enhance their Chinese language skills while experiencing the country’s vast and diverse cultural landscape. Please enjoy this next blog post below from Emmanual ’27 where he shares about his heartwarming day of high-speed trains, mythic lakes, and fast food with his homestay family giving an unforgettable glimpse into daily life and hospitality in China.
After a long day of rain and cold water during our kayaking adventure, I was overjoyed to go to sleep and imagine some clear skies again. So, imagine my face when I woke up at 6 am to hard rain hitting my window. Pushing my disappointment aside, I got ready for the day.
While in China, Sundays are dedicated to spending time with our homestay families. Leaving the house around 7, my homestay family – the mom, Amy, two young boys, 4 and 13, the dad, and I sprinted through the pouring rain with umbrellas and rain jackets, towards Changshou Station. We got on the Line 13, which was quite empty at the time and rode to Longde. Dan Dan, the 4-year-old, always kicks his shoes off each time we get on the train and faces the window behind him. It is the cutest thing ever.
At Longde, we switched to the Line 11, and then switched again to the Line 10, which was a 无人驾驶的地铁 (Self Driving Metro). We arrived at Hongqiau Railway Station around 9, which felt very similar to South Station in Boston, except far larger. We got on China’s 高铁 (High Speed Railway) and arrived at Hang Zhou at 10:30. I would talk about the view as we rode through China, but the train was so comfortable that I slept like a baby for the entire ride.
In Hang Zhou, the rain didn’t stop, and in fact was harder than it was in Shanghai. The station led directly into a shopping district with Victorias Secret, Gap, LEGO Store, McDonald’s, and so many other stores I recognized. It was like New York but small and clean! My host family took me to the Lifang Tower and the 西湖, also known as the West Lake. At the West Lake, there is the Broken Bridge, which isn’t actually broken. It’s a bridge from an old Chinese myth about a guy being seduced by, and falling in love with, a shape shifting snake.
After visiting the lake, we went to Chinese KFC, which was far better than American KFC. The chicken tasted very rich and real, and not at all fake. We then called it a day, heading back to Changshou Road, getting back at 8. We had dinner at 大米先生, which translates to Mr. Big Rice. It was similar to an American buffet, except you pay for the food individually. Heading home, I felt happy and slightly overwhelmed, at how loving and caring my homestay family are with me.
