Update from Jaylin

Being an American is a privilege, some people would call it being spoiled. In America, you can eat what you want when you want where ever you want. If you have to use the bathroom, you can always find a bathroom supplied with toilets and toilet paper. If you go on vacation or stay over a friends house you would expect a semi soft bed with a mattress. When you have to brush your teeth, you use the tap water from the sink. When traveling to other countries you have to realize that everything is not the same. You sometimes have to step out of your comfort zone and try new things.

My first dinner with my host family was pretty interesting. The day we arrived to Zibo was my host sister, Qiao Qiao's birthday. When we got into the car, she said ''Later we are going to play with my friends''. When I think of the word play I associate it with playing on a play ground with a whole bunch of kids. I soon realized that her version of play mean't that we were going out with her friends to a birthday dinner. My host mom dropped Qiao Qiao and I off in front of a traditional Chinese market street. 

As soon as Qiao Qiao and I stepped out of the car I could see a group of girls staring and chatting in a circle. Once they spotted Qiao Qiao they ran over to us yelling in Chinese. Once they approached us, they started having conversations in Chinese. I listened and tried to understand but they were speaking to fast that I could only pick up a few words here and there. Qiao Qiao told me that we were walking to a restaurant that was about five minutes away.

As we entered the restaurant, Qiao Qiao's friends started asking me several questions (luckily they were speaking English). As our conversations progressed, more and more of her friends started coming in and I realized I was now the center of attention. We all sat at a spinning table in a private room. The waiter asked every one what they would like to drink. I told her that I would like a "Shui Bi", Sprite. Everyone at the table also asked for a Sprite. As we waited for the food to come out, Qiao and her friends were chatting back and forth across the table in Chinese. Unfortunately, I could only pick out a few words from their conversations. Finally the waiters brought the food out. There were tons of different dishes. For example fish, fruit covered in a sweet sauce, chicken in different sauces, rice, shrimp, octopus, etc. As I watched all the different trays spin around in the table I became nervous. Ever since I was child, I have always been a picky eater. Everyone at the table kept telling me to try everything, I could not say no so I did. Sadly, I didn't like at least fifty percent of the dishes but I was proud of myself for eating different foods that I never would have imagined to try. This one dinner was only the beginning of a new food tasting journey.