a very special experience

I spent 6 months with a family in Beijing. I experienced winter and summer (sort of), ups and downs. It was my task to care for two children (3 and 4 years old). Through many obstacles I've had to face I not only learned a lot, but also improved myself. On one hand it was very hard communicating, as many Chinese families don't speak English and in the end I would say communication was the biggest problem. On the other hand I had to learn and speak Chinese faster and more because of that. The program is great for making friends, but I was never able to do my Chinese homework due to the work. I had to bring the kids to Kindergarten in the morning, then pick them up in the afternoon and play/ study with them until bedtime. I definetly went through a cultureshock phase while living in a Chinese family. It is more like adapting to a new culture than culture exchange. It was hard but very rewarding to me.