Austin (AFS student)

The most memorable experience I have had so far in China is spending time with my host family during Mid-Autumn Festival. For the first few weeks with my family things went really smoothly, but it was during the Mid-Autumn Festival that I felt I had really connected with them. During our break from school my family, Gian, my Italian roommate, and I, also accompanied by my Chinese siblings' grandparents, went out to eat together. First for lunch we went to a hot pot restaurant and ate delicious and incredibly spicy food. For the first time I got to try foods that are not available in the United States. These things include sheep brain, jellyfish, dog meat, and a few other things. Then again for dinner we went together to a beautiful restaurant outside the city and had a feast of even more interesting Chinese dishes. But these meals were not only memorable for trying new things but also because I grew closer with my host siblings, my host parents, and my Chinese grandparents. After so much delicious food and high-spirited conversation we all needed to rest. So we drove our grandparents back to their home and we and our host siblings, picked apples from our grandparents orchard for them. Although it was raining, it was a lot fun to play around with my host siblings. Finally after we returned home late at night my host brother said he had a surprise for me. He giddily ran into his room and returned with an armful of Chinese fireworks. My sister threw open the window and we lit the fireworks. What came next was an enchanting display of blues, reds, greens, and yellows exploding into the night sky. My host siblings, Gian, and I huddled around the window enjoying the show. It was an incredible ending to a fantastic day. Mid-Autumn Festival here in Changzhou was by far my best experience because it allowed me to grow closer to my host family and share the holiday with them.