By: Qiqi Wang, 2018 Summer Work Travel participant & Ambassador Scholar
How time flies! Two months have passed and I already have started to miss my special host community.
I can still remember my first day when I arrived at the train station. I was carrying big luggage and walked through the street with strong excitement, curiosity, and a little fear, looking for my new home, the international house. There was an old man sitting on a bench pointing at a brown-yellow house with his stick and said, “Kid, that’s your house! Cross the road to find your house!” So, with his kind reminder, I found my new home and started my summer with my lovely roommates, enthusiastic managers, and warm-hearted neighbors.
There are so many things that make my host community very special! First, the environment here is extremely comfortable and relaxing. I love the birds singing under the sunshine and the lightning bugs dancing at night. And I also feel excited when the squirrels are running through the grass, while a group of birds is flying above me, which I can never see in my city.
Second, I live in a community full of vitality and solidarity. The place I live is so amazing! Dozens of cultural exchange events are scheduled every week in the international house, and we even can share our party with the local community at the block party. I never miss any of the “discover the world” events which help me learn a lot of foreign cultures. I also volunteered with my roommates and I like staying in my apartment and sharing food with people I met in the international house.
Third, I work in a community full of harmony and warmness. It’s the sweetest park in the world, not only for its great entertainment facilities but also because I work with the best coworkers and managers. They are so warm and helpful. Every day, I can see thousands of people playing in the park, with enjoyable faces and excited movement. It is really a good place for cultural exchange!
The people, the buildings, the trees, the smell… everything here is so unique and unreplaceable, which make my host community so special. I LOVE my special host community!