My homestay home was super nice! The family said that they cleaned up a ton before we got to their apartment. The room that me and Phaedra stayed in was so cute, and it had a very nice view, since the apartment was on the thirteenth story. My homestay family has four people, which included the dad, the mom, our homestay host, and her brother. The dad works, and the mom stays at home to take care of her kids.
-Our host, her brother, Phaedra and I went to get dinner at a vegetarian place. The food was so good, and there were so many different flavors!
-Then we went to get shaved ice. We got the mango flavor, and it was delicious!
-After that we went to some stores, along with a boba tea shop, where I got lemon grapefruit tea. It was so good!
One very pleasant surprise was the delicious vegetarian food, and it was also nice that there were so many options! I learned that in Taiwanese culture, they tend to eat stuff at very late hours.
Magnus
The homestay was very fun and exciting. At first I was very nervous, but after talking to my homestay kid I felt a bit more comfortable. Our homestay kid’s name was Louis, and he is learning German and likes to listen to K-POP. His favorite K-pop group is Twice and BTS. His dad was very kind and funny always telling us jokes and treating us well. The mother was also very kind the food she made was extremely delicious. She made us cooked duck where we wrap it up in quesadillas and we put sauce and other spices inside it. She also provided us with egg plus tomatoes, broccoli, rice, spinach, and chicken. After, our homestay kid brought his friends over and we played a card game and the winner decides where they wanna sleep. Louis’ friends were extremely funny since they would always make jokes at each other. Finally, we went out to a restaurant, and we saw a beautiful view. The view included a bunch of buildings and the lights were on, at the end of the buildings was a port and we saw a bunch of boats leaving the port. At the end of the day we gave out our gifts and we all went to bed.
Evan Chu
My homestay home was less than a 5 minute drive away from Huiwen High School, and my homestay family lived in an apartment highrise in the inner city. The apartment had cupboards and display cases full of small trinkets and toys. The room I stayed in, which was my homestay student’s room, had k-pop related posters on the walls, albums on the shelves, and Hello Kitty sheets in the bed. The apartment was very clean, despite all the items that the family had stored in the cupboards there, so it was clear to me that they’ve likely grown up learning how to make the most of the little space they have since Taiwan is so small.
Unfortunately, I was only able to really get to know my homestay student. She went by Yi Cen or Bella, her English name. She is a student at Huiwen High School.
- First, we went to Bella’s classroom, where she and her classmates joked around and made plans for our dinner.
- We went out to eat hotpot. I ordered spicy broth with pork.
- Lastly, we went to play a type of carnie game in the night market. It involved putting metal balls into a pinball machine with the chance of winning more back.
One pleasant surprise for me was that my homestay student’s friends were extremely hospitable and generous; they intiated conversation with me, asking me about what it’s like to live in the U.S. and what I like most about Taiwan so far. They seemed interested in what I had to say while being patient with my Mandarin speaking level.
One thing I learned about Taiwanese culture during my homestay visit, while it may be a small detail, was that when eating hotpot, Taiwanese people devein and eat the shrimp last, and what I gather from this is that it’s like saving the bst part for last.
Anika