Experiencing life in China from the inside
Print Edition
FOREIGN students at the Minhang campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University are getting an intimate look inside Chinese family life under a new homestay program in Jiangchuan Town.
About 50 students from other countries are living with local families near the campus since the new program started in September.
So how is the program going after its first month? Shanghai Daily decided to find out by talking to two foreign students and their host families.
Wu Yun’s family and
Tiana Andriamahatratra
Wu’s family runs its own trading company, which means a flexible work schedule. So when the neighborhood committee touted the homestay project, the family agreed to participate.
Wu, her husband and their 13-year-old daughter live in a three-bedroom apartment about a 10-minute walk from campus.
“My parents had been living with us until recently, so when they moved to another apartment, we had space to host a student,” said Wu.
The family had only one month to prepare, which didn’t allow enough time to redecorate the bathroom as Wu had hoped. “Fortunately, our new family member is not picky,” she said.
That new family member is 20-year-old Tiana Andriamahatratra, a student from France who is in Shanghai for four months on an exchange program from her engineering school in Douai. She is majoring in electronics and computer engineering.
“When I heard of the homestay project, I decided to sign up for it,” she said. “It’s much better than living in a dormitory because it gives me the chance to experience Chinese culture and daily life here.”
It’s her first extended trip away from home.
“My parents were very worried in the beginning,” she said. “But I have assured them that everything is fine here. The host family is very kind to me.”
Although the homestay contract doesn’t require the host family to provide meals, Wu always invites Andriamahatratra to dine with them when she’s at home. During the recent National Day holiday, the student was also invited to a party with relatives.
“After all, she’s alone in a strange land,” said Wu. “Now that she’s living in our home, it’s our responsibility to take care of her.”
According to Wu, Andriamahatratra is a very quiet, studious girl who “never causes any trouble.”
Wu and her husband speak a little English, which they use to communicate with Andriamahatratra. Although there is still a communications gap, both family and student say they still get by quite well.
“Sometimes our daughter helps too,” said Wu. “Like one morning I wanted to tell Tiana we were having congee for breakfast, but I didn’t remember the word for it in English. My daughter came to the rescue. She said she had just learned the English word a day earlier in school!”
Andriamahatratra said she felt a bit under the weather when she first came to Shanghai, maybe because the climate was so different from northern France. She said Wu cooked her soup and porridge, much like her mother back home would have done in a similar situation.
“I really feel lucky that I am part of the homestay project,” she said. “I believe it will be one of the most beautiful memories I take away from of China.”
Wang Hao’s Family and Zhang Ruoyu
Chinese-born Canadian student Zhang Ruoyu, 20, came to Jiao Tong University on a one-year exchange program because his father had once been a student in Shanghai.
Born in Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi Province, Zhang immigrated to Canada with his family at a young age. He speaks fluent English and Mandarin but admitted he tends to have more of a “Western mindset” nowadays.
Zhang is a student at Montreal University, where he is majoring in business management. Part of the reason he initially chose to participate in the homestay program is that accommodation fees are cheaper than those in the campus dormitory for overseas students.
“Here the rent is 1,000 yuan (US$163) a month, while in the dormitory, it’s 1,500 yuan for a double and 2,000 yuan if you want your own room,” he said. “Most overseas students look for other accommodation because of the high dormitory cost.”
But there’s more to homestay than just saving money. The real advantage of staying with the family of Wang Hao, a professor in the university’s College of Media, is the opportunity to reconnect with his Chinese roots.
Wang, his wife and son once lived in the US for a year, so speaking in English or Chinese with Zhang is no problem. The family enjoys both Chinese and Western cuisines. Zhang said he immediately felt at home.
“The family has a son who is a Grade 2 student in junior high school,” said Zhang. “We become friends very quickly. We hang out together on weekends and have fun.”
Wang said he is familiar with homestay programs outside China and has the impression that many of them are based solely on a business-like relationship with the students. That’s not the kind of environment he wants Zhang to experience.
“Now that he lives with us, he has become like family and we treat him like our own son,” Wang said. “And my son really likes him. When he’s not home, my son is always asking me when he will return.”
Zhang said he had intended to stay one semester in Wang’s home, but after only one month, he has decided to prolong his stay for another semester.
“I don’t think I could find a better place to live, to be honest,” he said.
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