Learn Chinesa Mandarin by living with Chinese host family
Mr. Giuliano Dedini from Brazil who stays in Beijing
About my background
I am a citizen of the world. I have a passion for traveling, which has never been a new thing, for I first moved from Bolivia to Brazil as a 2 month old baby. It was mainly due to my father's job, which kept him away from home for many weeks, but when he came back he would show us pictures and teld us the stories of the places he had been, it always fascinated me. As I grew up, and so did comunication and transport technology, the world seemed to be getting smaller and smaller.
I'm 19 years old, studying Economics in the University in Curitiba, Brazil. I grew up there, and I love my country like nowhere else, it's a land of great cultural diversity and freedom. I had the pleasure of living in New Zealand for a period during high school, lived in Argentina with some relatives, been to quite a few other places around the globe, and now I'm having the great experience to live in the intriguing, fascinating China.
My host family in Beijing
One choice I'll never regret, staying in a host family house. If your're truly willing to have a cultural experience there is no better way than to live with a chinese family. It goes far beyond the great fact of beeing able to practice and learn the language all the time, you can actually see the traditions, cousine and lifestyle, which I'm sure you wouldn't gain on television, restaurants or on the streets.
Of course it may not always be joy and fun, in the first a few days you can get close to frustrating when you can't even say "I did not understand", neither "yes/no". When I arrived my host mother asked kindly "what is your name?", I foolishly thought "horray, it won't be that hard", I just had no idea those were the first and last english words in the house.
As days passed and classes went by, things started to make some sense, the most simple dialogues start to appear and soon conversations take form. Still, mimicry is the most played game in the house, because when new words come up (quite often you may say) the explanation of it in chinese certainly do not help much.
I recommed it to anyone with with will to be way out of a comfort zone, and that doesn't complain at everything least unpleasant. Seeing your improvement in the language day by day is greatly rewarding, and the experience is unforgettable.
About the cultural experience
I can sincereley say that China has, in many aspects, overcomed by far my expectations.
Beijing is an inteernational capital, the ammount of foreigners from the most distant places I've met is astonishing. A really clean and safe city, with well planned public transport and receptive people.
As soon as I left the airport I started to note a few things; first, traffic is unbelievably chaotic. A mix of cars, buses, motorcycles, bikes and pedestrians quarreling space with lack of common sense is a common view, while in other places like banks, restaurants, karaokes, bars, clubs and other public places, space is respected, and as far as possible people tend to mind their own bussiness. It seemed to me an almost perfect inverse of Latin American citites I've been, where, with some exceptions of course, traffic laws are toughly enforced and a certain common sense is visible, while in the other hand all the time there is good and bad, unwanted and unexpected interaction between people, be it in or outside public places.
Anyone seeking to live the most the world has to offer, should deffinitely pay a visit, China is charming and exotic, I leave all my respect to it's people, and will take the love of it back home.
