"Eight years ago, when I heard that young international students from China wanted to study American culture and come to live at home for a while, I was full of expectations for a short stay in China." Rita, an adoptive parent who lives in Temple City, said that in order to welcome students from China, she and her family kept the room spotless. Rita, who had retired at home at that time, cooked all kinds of American food in different ways every day. "I hope that children in China will not only learn American culture abroad, but also reduce their homesickness."
"But it seems that many children in China are reluctant to communicate with others," Rita said, especially those who have stayed in China in recent years. "They often stay in their rooms all day." Rita said that even when everyone is eating, they often don't say a word. "Finally, they feel uncomfortable living at home like strangers."
However, when she returned to her room, she was eloquent. "I often hear laughter and laughter inside at two or three in the middle of the night," Rita said. She discussed it with her husband over and over again, and finally decided that "we won't make this money."
It's not just the Rita family that is "uncomfortable". Mr. Chen of Monte Lipack said that because his wife was idle at home for a long time and could not stand the repeated entreaties of her friends, some rooms in his family became "small homes" four years ago, and everyone's monthly salary was 1.200 yuan to 1.500 yuan, which was a good sideline.
"But you must put up with the habit of staying up late," Mr. Chen said. "You don't wash the dishes after dinner", "You don't pick up your hair all over the floor", "You don't watch the fire when you cook", "You don't say hello when you meet" and "You don't report when you go out late". He said that he received five or six small international students before and after. "It is very strange that many small international students have surprisingly similar living habits."
Mr. Chen said that once his wife came back from shopping outside, she was surprised to find that the wok on the stove was smoking. "If I hadn't come back early, I was afraid the house would catch fire!" Xiao Liu later admitted that he forgot to watch the fire when he called from below.
The contrast between "American children are taken care of early" and "China children are spoiled" makes many foster families at a loss. Mrs. Zhu, an adoptive parent who has received more than a dozen China residents in San Gabriel Valley in recent years, said that she felt that many children in China were "isolated". The girl who stayed at home, "The bed is full of things, and the shoes are left unattended on the bed. Adults will always be in a mess if they don't help clean up. "Children play computer in the" garbage dump ". What makes her even more unbearable is that Xiao Liu is on the phone with China, and the schedule is reversed. Mrs. Zhu said that once a stay-at-home parent came to Los Angeles, and she tactfully expressed that "staying up late at night is not good for children's health". I didn't expect the parent to reply cheerfully: Let her go. Mrs. Zhu said that she was embarrassed to leave her parents.
"Once a foreigner's adoptive parents complained to us that China Xiaoliu put his cat in a drawer." Xu Lin, president of the China Cultural Exchange Association in Southern California, who receives tourists from China all the year round, said that the adoptive parents couldn't find a pet at home at that time, and finally the cat meowed in the small sightseeing room. The behavior of staying young makes adoptive parents feel incredible.
Experts from Global International Education in the United States have warned that the differences in education between China and the United States seem to reduce the number of non-Chinese foster families willing to stay in China. Patrick Duan, a tour leader who is traveling in South Canada, said that even in the central and western regions with simple folk customs, the number of foreign families who are willing to receive China recently is decreasing, which is very different from the past. Some polite families say, "Because the cultures of the two sides are so different."
However, Xu Lin said that many foster families are more tolerant of staying in China. On the one hand, the number of traditional foster families in some areas is shrinking, on the other hand, the number of China students studying in the United States is still rising sharply, and foster families are more diversified. He believes that although there are many problems in foster families, it is the only way for China children to go to the world.