Sunday, January 08, 2006
A SPECIAL GUEST BLOG BY BEN'S MOM
After Ben's trip home to Philly, I flew to Kunming with him to spend 8 nights and get an experience of his life here. Through the years, I've followed him to Australia (with the Boys Choir), to Italy, where he stayed with a family and learned Italian, and now to China. I'm a proud mamma. I'm blown away by his ability to make himself at home in a very foreign city, find an apartment, a job, and create a community so far from home. And he can really speak Chinese!
This week, I've watched him teach English to classes of very cute 12 year olds, met his writing tutor, Money, and been overwhelmed by the hospitality of his homestay family. Ben's taken me to great $1.25 meals (pork Peking, sweet and sour pork; or beef kababs and homemade noodles)the flower market, his favorite hangouts, etc. We've arranged photos on the walls of his apartment, watched some episodes of West Wing, and did a lot of walking, including watching old Chinese people do morning exercises that resemble ballet dancing with swords.
I can now say hello, thanks, goodbye and it was nice meeting you in Chinese, eat with chopsticks a little better, and not fall in the Asian toilet when I squat. It's been a great trip!
After Ben's trip home to Philly, I flew to Kunming with him to spend 8 nights and get an experience of his life here. Through the years, I've followed him to Australia (with the Boys Choir), to Italy, where he stayed with a family and learned Italian, and now to China. I'm a proud mamma. I'm blown away by his ability to make himself at home in a very foreign city, find an apartment, a job, and create a community so far from home. And he can really speak Chinese!
This week, I've watched him teach English to classes of very cute 12 year olds, met his writing tutor, Money, and been overwhelmed by the hospitality of his homestay family. Ben's taken me to great $1.25 meals (pork Peking, sweet and sour pork; or beef kababs and homemade noodles)the flower market, his favorite hangouts, etc. We've arranged photos on the walls of his apartment, watched some episodes of West Wing, and did a lot of walking, including watching old Chinese people do morning exercises that resemble ballet dancing with swords.
I can now say hello, thanks, goodbye and it was nice meeting you in Chinese, eat with chopsticks a little better, and not fall in the Asian toilet when I squat. It's been a great trip!
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I am impressed by Ben's mom's facility with language. Must be all the Yiddish she studied although I doubt any similarities in the languages. The only characters in Yiddish are the bubbes ( grandmothers ).
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# posted by 
: 1/10/2006 6:35 AM
: 1/10/2006 6:35 AM << Home
