HBA has a homestay program. Students do not actually homestay at Chinese families, but each two students are matched with one local family if they want. Since both students and Chinese families are busy on weekdays, they usually meet on Sunday. What they do together and how often they meet are completely up to the local family and could vary a lot. In my case, my Chinese parents have a seven-year-son and we meet almost every Sunday except the week of social study. We went to some historical places, to see Chinese son's activities, and to eat Beijing local foods.
The best part of this program is that I learned a lot about local life. We went to places a guide book doesn't have, restaurants only locals know about, and talked a lot about a life in China and at Beijing. Since a lot of our host families have young children, it is especially interesting to learn about their views on education, health, economics, and other topics related to child raising and also related to what I learned in Chinese class. If you are interested not only in learning Chinese language but also in learning about China, this homestay program is one of the best opportunities to achieve your goal.
↓We went to watch a traditional play together
