Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Huang and Bob

Our exchange students have arrived. We are having the BEST time with Bob and Huang. They are from Chongqing, China in the Szechian region. Both are 16 years old, and I have really developed a huge fondness for them in just one week. I really don't want to see them leave to go back to China. I feel like I have two more children. BIG children, but children nonetheless. I really like them. They're pretty funny. We laugh a lot. And they can cook! Man, they REALLY cook! They totally put me to shame. IRON CHEF! Chongqing hotpot and super side dishes. No joke. It was GREAT! And they prepared the whole meal just for us. It took them close to two hours to just prepare it for cooking. Our friends, Dolores and Grace, also came over with their exchange student, Dora. She is from the same area in China as the boys. Very sweet girl. Beautiful too. She helped them.
We have had some great times so far.
Touring DC at night. The Washington Monument. The Jefferson Memorial. Walking the city. Sweating. Taking them to school and home again. Hanging out at home. Restaurants. Watching Bob and Huang try to eat the "Blazin" hot wings at Buffalo Wild Wings. Laughing. Movies. Wii. Walks. Sweating. Touring DC on Saturday all day. The White House. The Capitol. The WW2 Memorial. The Women of the Military Memorial. The Korean War Memorial. The WW1 Memorial Wall. The Museum of Natural History. Shopping at Fair Oaks. Shopping everywhere. Talking about everything China. Learning. Absorbing. French Fries. Burgers. Pizza. Computer time. Learning Chinese. Learning about their culture. I have loved every second of it! And Gracie is just a sponge. She really likes the boys. They are so kind to the children. Huang will pick Gracie up and put her on his shoulders. He will hold her hand. He is very sweet. Bob is too. They are very cheerful, good boys. Bob communicates very well. Huang is learning the language. They have been very good here together. They balance each other out.
Some of my favorite moments so far…
1. Finding out the boys are going to cook a meal for us. YEA!!! Then, Bob tells me in the car one morning that we do not have all of the ingredients. Ox stomach. Chicken hearts. No can do. Had to talk to the boys about that. Just cannot eat the internal organs of animals. I totally respect them. I do not want to insult them at all. BUT…I cannot do it. They were very understanding and used just plain chicken, and beef in the meal. It was awesome! Probably one of the very best Chinese meals we have ever eaten. Bob told me that his mom told him later in life that his favorite thing to eat as a child was pig brains. Hmmmmmm.
2. The boys went on a bike ride and got caught in the rain on their way home from MANASSAS. We thought they were riding around our neighborhood. NO. They were all the way in Manassas!!! Had to have another talk with them.
3. The boys are used to eating VERY hot and spicy foods in China. We enjoyed watching them try to eat the Blazin Hot wings at Buffalo Wild Wings…If you can eat 12 wings in 6 minutes with no drinks and no napkins and no ranch or blue cheese dressing, you get your picture on a wall and a t-shirt for your efforts. They ate some of them….five of them…Sweating, lots of water, and lots of laughter later…They passed on eating all 12 wings. Even the staff leader/waiter said he wouldn’t do it. It is just painful. You don’t even taste the chicken etc. But they ate five of them. Brave boys!
4. Seeing Gracie and Garrett light up around them. Hearing the kids try to speak Chinese. Listening to Gracie’s questions. Asking lots of questions ourselves. And listening to their answers.

No comments: