Host family is important to international students

By Min Jiao
January 29, 2013

Each international student has a host family in Southwestern College. Host family is all American people who live in Winfield and volunteer become an international student’s host family.

We come from different countries, so host parents like international students’ parents in the United States.

Our campus has some international students, like Chinese, Singaporean, Malaysian, and so on. We come from different countries and our families, friends live in other countries. We want to learn more knowledge and skills so we come here.

However, we usually feel get alone particularly Chinese students. Because of English is second language to Chinese students. We learn Chinese when we were young and didn’t speak English in daily life.

We always miss our families and friends. The host family is like our family. International Club like hold some activities, they invited international students and their host family. This is good way to communication.

Sometimes, host family invited us join their activities, like eat at their house, barbecue, shopping, and so on. Like generic family activities. This is good thing for international students because they lived in other country before and they didn’t have car when they just come here.

I remembered first time my host family invited me and my roommate went to Wichita zoo in my first semester. That is my first time leave school went to other place. Also it is my first time went to American zoo. I’m very happy went to there. This is my memorable experience.

Of course, my host family like invited join their activities, I feel so happy about it. I believe other international students are same to me.

For now, I’m very busy because I have a lot of classes and homework. I don’t have enough time to join their activities. However, they also important to me like my family.

Every semester have new international students study at our school. They also get their host family. I hope they will enjoy it.

Spring Festival

By Min Jiao
January 15, 2012

The first meeting is from International Club in Sutton Hall, Southwestern College at 7pm Jan.15 this semester. We discuss about how to celebrate Spring Festival in here.

Spring Festival also called Chinese New Year. It is the most important of the traditional Chines holiday like American celebrate Christmas Day.

Almost tradition Chinese festival is according to the traditional Chinese calendar include Spring Festival. Spring Festival is January 1 according to the traditional Chinese calendar. So we celebrated different time in every year almost mid-February. This year's Spring Festival on February 10.

During Spring Festival all Chinese Store will closed 7 days because all Chinese people need to celebrate this festival with their families. Eve Spring Festival, all Chinese family need to eat together. In that day, every family will make big meal at night.

Before family start big meals they need to paste antithetical couplet on the door that means the antithetical couplet bring luck next years. People must need to eat dumplings during the big meal because the dumplings is like ancient Chinese money is called gold ingots that means you will make more money next years. After dinner, families always watch the Spring Festival television show until 12pm. Then people like to shoot off fireworks, it looks so beautiful.

Actually, Children really like to celebrate Spring Festival because elder need to give money to children. It is traditional Chinese custom. And from Jan.2 to Jan.7 people always pay a visit to relatives and present gifts to them.

Chinese students and I didn’t celebrate Spring Festival with family when we come here because don’t have break for Spring Festival so we need go to classes. All students like to celebrate together on that day like family.

International Club makes plan to celebrate Spring Festival with campus’ students this semester. We will make some Chinese food and invite host family this year.