Day 7 - Day 10 : Homestay Experiences

Homestay is one of the highlights of this overseas immersion programme. Our Keming ambassadors went for a 4-day homestay from 6 June to 9 June 2008 in their buddies' houses. It is nice to know that the hosting families took very good care of our students during this period by taking them to the various places of interest and giving them special treats. In fact, we (teachers and students) were overwhelmed by their kindness, care and hospitality. Let's look at some of the students' feedback pertaining to the homestay.


Ang Xiang Yong (5 Opal)
I had a sumptuous dinner with just dishes, without any rice. I love the pig's ears and beef. I played bumper car and row a boat during the homestay. It was fun.

Cheah Cayyin (5 Onyx)
I visited Chen Jia Ci, a beautiful old house that people once lived in it, and climbed Bai Yun Shan where huge and beautiful butterflies can be found. During the homestay, I taught my buddy English and she taught me Chinese. The homestay experience was great! I will miss my buddy and her family. We planned to meet again next time.

Wu Yizhou (3 Amethyst)
My hosting family took me to a royal restaurant for breakfast. They bought three books for me as presents. I received five presents in all with two more given by my buddy’s classmates at the farewell party.

Md Shahid (5 Amethyst)
I tried archery and sat on the roller coaster as well as bumper car during my homestay. It was exciting.

Ang Han Jie (5 Onyx)
My buddy and his family are very nice to me. Their house was extremely beautiful. I went horse-riding during the homestay. I was very excited but scared. After that, I went for a roller coaster and motorcycle ride. It was FUN! At night, I had a barbecue. The food was delicious. What an eventful day!

Mindy Boo (5 Ruby)
My buddy's house is four storey high. Everything was good there. I like that place very much. I felt as if it was my real home.

Chia Yan Li (5 Pearl)
On the day of the dumpling festival, my buddy's family took me to a river to watch the dragon boat race.

Kwek Zhi Jing (5 Onyx)
My buddy's parents are nice folks and they treat me very well. Her mother has great culinary skills and she cooked sumptuous meals for us.

Poh Chee Wei (5 Emerald)
My friends celebrated my birthday for me on Friday, 6 June 2008. My teachers ordered me a cake. I was touched by the nice gesture. So sweet! I am as happy as a lark.

Nur Syarah (5 Emerald)
Today is the last day I am seeing my buddy and her family. I will miss them. I really appreciate what they have done for me. One day, I will repay their kindness.

Tan Yen Meng (5 Pearl)
I feel quite sad as I would be leaving my buddy and his family very soon. I really enjoyed the homestay. I have been very well taken care of. Now I am looking forward for my buddy to come and stay at my house in August.

Naguib (5 Sapphire)
Today, I celebrated Dragon Boat Festival in honour of the great poet, Qu Yuan together with my buddy’s family. I am sad to leave Shimen and my buddy. Everybody in China has been nice to me. Before I left my hosting family, they gave me a thumbdrive with all the photographs taken. They are so kind. I will definitely miss them.

Ngoh Yan Fei ( 5 Pearl)
I experienced ice-skating for the first time in my life with my buddy.. After that, my buddy's family took me to the arcade to play and then to a buffet. I ate till I was very full. My buddy's mother kept asking me to eat some more. I guess what Ms Hing said was right. The Chinese would keep on 'feeding' us till we are very, very full.

Lycia Goh (5 Opal)
My class organized a farewell party for me. It was so nice of them. I am very excited to go to Hong Kong but very sad to bid good-bye to my China buddy, friends and teachers.

Alice Jin (4 Amethyst)
I had a unique experience soaking myself in hot spring with the hosting family. I also went mountain-climbing with them. I have enjoyed myself very much during the homestay. I will miss the warmth and kindness my buddy's family has shown me. How I wish I could stay at my buddy's house for a longer time.

Aditi (5 Pearl)
We celebrated Chee Wei's birthday in the canteen today. We had tasty and beautifully decorated cakes. Yummy! My buddy and her friends gave me some small presents. They were small but meaningful. Glad I took neoprints with funny actions together with my buddy.

In a nutshell, the homestay experiences was GREAT! Besides immersing into the culture of the Chinese, our students became attached to the hosting families. The bond was strong and that made parting difficult on the last day of the homestay...we saw students hugging one another and some actually cried.

We conducted a debrief for our Keming ambassadors on the night of their return from the homestay and got them to share their learning points from day 1 to day 10. There were quite a number of takeaways for them. They have learnt to be:

(1) independent and do things on their own
(2) respectful and tolerant of others
(3) hospitable and treat their buddies well when they visit Singapore in July
(4) put others before self like the Chinese in Nanhai
(5) appreciative of the things they have and not take things for granted

Based on the teachers' observation, we have noticed an improvement in our students' behaviour. Though it is only a short trip, we are glad that this overseas immersion programme has made a difference in the lives of the participants.