Lotus Study Program anyone?

[NickyR]

FYI, your host family is being paid by Lotus.

I’m glad my host family is being paid – that’s good news!

You should get PlecoDict. Its flashcard program makes learning characters almost fun.

I’m getting my palm this weekend – massively excited about it! Will no doubt be posting for assistance when I get it as I am technologically inept. In my head, it is instantly going to transform me into a character genius – oh let it be true, let it be true!

Again, thanks for sharing your experiences with us. I have always been interested in knowing how these homestay experiences work as well as work out for the participants.

It seems that there are two things that are bothering you the most:

1) Your guilt that you may be inadvertently taking advantage of them, or at least being a financial burden on them

2) That you are treated as a guest in their home and they don't let you do chores?

To the first point, like you said your agreement with the homestay company was that you would be provided these meals. The family obviously knows and has agreed to this too.

Also, your host family is probably a lot better off than you realize. What kind of jobs do the parents have? I would guess that, based on the fact that they live in a decent apartment here in Beijing, they are wealthier than 99% of the population in China. And I'm not exaggerating here either.

Finally, how they are compensated is really none of your concern (and I think you realize this too). Also, the compensation may be just a very small reason why they decided to join this program, especially if it is not that much at all. It sounds like they are enjoying the arrangement, and like you said they also get to experience a different culture right in their home. What's so bad about this? That said, Chinese do tend to be surprisingly direct and open about monetary issues (ie - salaries, cost of home, etc.) so you probably will find out about this anyways.

Thanks for your comments – I totally agree with what you say. I am a natural worrier so I even worry about the burden I’m being when I stay with friends back in the UK. In some ways, I think I worry even less about it here because an agency has managed the commercial element of it. I think it would be patronising of me to assume that they hadn’t considered all of the pros and cons of having me to stay and made their decision to have me accordingly. So I think it would be a little insulting to suggest to them that I was worried about being a burden. But equally I don’t sit at home demanding to be fed at set times. I think Adrian was asking about how I feel about that particular issue … so I was more thinking aloud I guess.

you really feel that way, then you should visit one of the poorer provinces where a farming family's annual income might only amount to 2000 RMB. Yes, that's right - annual income. You have no reason to feel like this towards your Beijing apartment-dwelling host family. Also, the homestay company and its staff are benefitting from you business, aren't they?

I’m sorry – I wasn’t suggesting that this was what I was feeling towards my host family! (I shouldn’t really write posts when I’m hungry – never make myself clear!). My family are certainly doing well for themselves. They are absolutely doing better than most people in Beijing – and to be honest, better than most of the people I know back home. I am definitely staying in accommodation about 800 cuts above my flat in London! They are certainly more successful in their working lives than I have so far been in mine…

I was really trying to make a more generic comment on why I think homestays in China are sometimes greeted with a little more suspicion than homestays in other Western countries might be. I think sometimes people feel a little uncomfortable with a type of tourism which claims to allow people to have authentic experiences of a different culture. And I wonder whether that’s why people sometimes feel uncomfortable with the idea of a homestay (well, that and the bad stories you hear sometimes). But I don’t feel like this about my family, or indeed about the arrangements in general – I am well aware of the “type” of China-experience I’m having. As I said, I, like most Westerners, have been drawn into the middle-class of Chinese society. And I totally agree with you: as far as I’m concerned I have paid for a service which is being provided to me. Everyone is benefiting in some way or other (apart from my waistline, obviously). But I also think that the fact that you are in someone's home kind of blurs the boundaries between commercial enterprise and emotional reactions to particular situations: I will probably always worry about being a burden, even though I am being a grown-up about it while I'm here!

However, I'm not exactly sure what you are trying to achieve here. If it's just the chores that are bothering you, perhaps during one of your cultural discussions with the family you can mention the fact that in western culture it is considered polite of the guests to help out with the chores. And also that doing so here will make you feel more at home rather than being away from it?

Actually I don’t know what I want to achieve here either! I was musing really. I think I just mean that I don’t really want to be waited on hand and foot. Good idea about the East vs West thing – I’ll mention that. I don’t really mind not doing the washing up though!

my accidental reference to genitalia at the dinner table

Let me guess - did it perhaps have something to do with chicken?

It wasn’t actually chicken. It was the weather (darn that most simple of topics). I compared one day’s weather to another and got my tone mixed up on “bi”. Won’t make that mistake again in a hurry!

[cdn_in_bj]

I can tell that you are a very caring and considerate person. Your host family must be thrilled to have you staying with them. Take it easy and enjoy your stay here.

I compared one day’s weather to another and got my tone mixed up on “bi”.

I can teach you some good slang/swear words involving that character

[mscott101]

Lots of great comments here on the Lotus program and the homestay experience. With respect to the Lotus program, did all of you pay the $250 application fee? To me, that seems pretty high...and I think I've seen other programs with much lower app fees. I suppose it is what it is and it sounds like they do a good job managing the program - so it's probably worth it. Still, anyone pay less?

There was also discussion of some of the trips that Lotus program runs. Have any of you been on these trips? If so, where did you go and did you think it was worth it?

Finally, the tutors. For those of you that have had tutors assigned through Lotus program, how have you found them? Are they considered tutors because they can speak Chinese or do they have experience teaching the language? Are they able to use English if necessary to explain an issue? I know it probably varies by tutor, but how have your experiences been?

Thanks.

[Robert14]

Let me chime in with the good comments about Lotus. I used them for a month in August 2004, the first time to went to study in China. They placed me with a nice young couple. The food was fine, and I participated in family events (everyone making jiaozi, for example). I did have to clarify the second day that there was no way I could eat the enormous amounts of food being served! Portions were adjusted after that.

The campus orientation was nice, and I had the chance to meet several other Lotus participants. We ended up gathering lunch for much of the month. They also reported very good family experiences with only one problem. One family was doubling up on visitors, so that this person lost his private bathroom. He complained to Lotus and was immediately transferred to another family whose Lotus guest had just departed. The new one turned out to be so excellent that he stayed with them when he returned in 2005.

Lotus offered to get a tutor for me at US$15/hour. As campus bulletin boards have plenty of offers of tutoring at 20-30 rmb/hour (or free if you wish to do language exchange), I took my chances in that direction and found an excellent tutor, a former high-school teacher in his 30s who had returned to university to improve his English. We because good friends, and on future study-visits to Beijing, I've stayed at his place. Subsequently I've tutored with English-major seniors--their English can be superb, but they're not trained in teaching Chinese, so you do need to guide the sessions yourself. It's pretty demanding, but you can learn a lot if you put your mind to it.

I'm sure you'll have a rewarding experience.

[NickyR]

Hi Mscott

I can't remember whether I paid the $250 fee - it also seems quite steep! I have it in my head that it was $100?? But I certainly didn;t negotiate out of anything, so that's what it is I presume I paid it.. All seems a long time ago now. As I said, doing a homestay is probably the most expensive way you can live in Beijing, so you will need to brace yourself for that. The big question is whether you feel it is worth it for what you want to get out of the trip. I decided it was, plenty of people will decide it isn't. But one thing I will say is that there are no hiddne costs with Lotus - so whatever you have to pay will be clearly stated on the website.

I went on one of the trips. We visited an old people's home in HaiDian district. It lasted the morning and was actually really good fun. A bus load of us turned up and basically played games with the elderly people and then delivered presents to them in their rooms. The also threw a mini "birthday party" for all the people who had a birthday in the next few months. I was a little alarmed when they asked me to decide whether I wanted to sing a song or do a dance at the event, but I managed to get out of that in the end! (Actually, it turned out that only about a third of the people there performed, so I'm very glad I didn't force myself to offer to impersonate Britney Spears on the stage!)

I think the old people enjoyed it. The participants were mainly Chinese with a few laowai. It was all irganised by Lotus, and they paid for the bus, the presents and our meal at a veggie restaurant afterwards (Lotus I think makes a point of pursuing other charitable objectives). It was certainly interesting to see an old people's home inCHina - quite different to the UK. I was also looking forward to it to meet other people who are doing homestays (to compare experiences) and to meet knew people as I don't really know that many people in Beijing, or at least not that many people to whom I can string more than a basic sentence about the weather together (especially one which avoids any mention of genitalia!). This might be interesting for you if you are not having lessons with other people? (I guess your desire for this depends on your level of CHinese). We did have to get up and share our experiences about the trip over a mike in the restaurant - slightly difficult for those of us with bad chinese. But I would definitely go again. The staff at Lotus are all really pleasant so it was nice to chat to them too. They make a real effort to speak chinese with you so that's good for speaking practie.

Hope this helps...

[jiangshipei]

If anyone is interested in studying Chinese, and getting the most out of your experience and money, I recommend Lotus without reservation. I've spent about a year in China, 3 months with Lotus in Beijing, 4 months with CIEE in Nanjing and about 4 months traveling on my own.

Of all the programs I have encountered Lotus is far and beyond the best out there- both in quality and cost. The program and support provided by Lotus and its administrators completely tailors itself to you as an individual student.

The program itself is really 3 parts- homestay, tutoring and classes at BLCU. As a whole this creates an enviornment of complete immersion, which is essential to learning the language.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Lotus's program is that I still keep in touch with both my family and Lotus. When I returned to travel in China I was welcomed back by Lotus, who also helped me arrange a trip to teach at a Tibetan orphanage (another amazing program put on by Lotus.) Lotus puts on charity and volunteer programs throughout the year, yet another reason why Lotus stand out compared to other prograns.

There are many fake programs and bad deals out there for those trying to navigate language study in China. I was lucky that I found Lotus, an organization that really cares about its students and is dedicated to sharing China's language and culture.

[shanghaikai]

Okay, well, copying and pasting a testimonial probably isn't very convincing...

[Dalioux]

Hi,

Thank you so much for everything you've posted !!

My parents were worried about sending me with lotus by myself and now they're completely reassured !

I'm actually doing the volunteer-only program and was wondering if anyone had already done that... If so any information/anecdotes would be greatly appreciated !!

Also, the price for 4 weeks is 2000, which seems a little high considering all it is is the homestay and telling me about the orphanage they are affiliated with... Has anyone ever bargained with them ? Are their prices final ?

One last thing : if I get there before the classes start, will anyone be there ? Will there be activities and excursions ? Or should I try to plan my dates to coincide with the classes ?

Thanks again everyone !!

-Dalia.