6 weeks in Hangzhou

I spent 6 weeks in Hangzhou in a very nice family with two 5 year-old twin girls. The matching process was made rather easy by Lopair even if I had asked to go to Shanghai in the first-place (in retrospect I am really happy I spent these few weeks in Hangzhou and not Shanghai as Hangzhou is a better place to explore traditional China).

BEST PARTS ABOUT THE PROGRAM :

- Being able to discover/explore China on my own was definitly what I was looking forward to the most. After 6 weeks, I can say I have become a lot more confident in travelling by myself, meeting new people, trying new things and starting conversations with locals.

- My Mandarin has improved a lot as the program is a chance to be fully immersed in a Chinese family and the Mandarin lessons I had twice a week were taught by a great teacher.

- The people you get to meet. Spending 6 weeks (or more) in China can get very isolating if you don't make an effort to meet people and make friends. I was very lucky I got along so well with my classmates and also got the chance to go out with other au pairs in my free time. I also made a few Chinese friends that I keep in touch with over wechat and hope to visit in the future !

- The support provided by Lopair was great for me. Both my local coordinator Yvonne and June were amazing, checking up on me and taking me (with one or multiple other au pairs) for coffee and dinner. It really made me feel like I had someone to turn to in case of an issue.

THINGS TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION / NEGATIVE ASPECTS :

- One thing I would say to anyone considering doing the programme though is to not underestimate how much effort and energy needs to be put in teaching and supervising kids. It is a real job that requires commitment and a love for kids. 6 weeks can be long if you don't like being around kids all the time.

- The biggest downside to my 6 weeks in Hangzhou was that, because my host family's house was so incredibly far from the city center (about 2h30!!), I wasn't able to go out with friends in the evening or even in the afternoon and stayed in the house even when I was supposed to have some free time. So do ask how far the house is from the language school and the city center !!
In the end it turned out fine because my host family went to Japan for 10 days and paid for a hotel for me in the center so I did have these days to explore more by myself and hang out with people my age.

In conclusion, my 6 weeks in Hangzhou truly were an amazing for me and it really has reinforced my love for China. I am incredibly grateful to my host family who was wonderful in every way and tried their best to share their culture with me. I hope to go back to Hangzhou very soon :)