Meet Yang Liu!

Our family had the opportunity to have a Foreign Exchange Student from China come and stay with us for 17 days...what an amazing experience it has been! Her name is Yang Liu. Each student chose an American name to go by, while they were here in the U.S. The name she chose was Niki. Niki is a 16 year-old girl from China. This was her first time to the United States. Her English was amazing. She learned English in school. Niki is an only child...so becoming an instant member of a family of 7 (then 8) was an interesting experience for her. She loved the kids and the kids loved her. We tried to give her an opportunity to experience many different kinds of food. We had Mexican Food and I will tell you, explaining what tacos, burritos, and enchiladas are, when she doesn't know what a tortilla is...was an interesting challenge! We also introduced her to In & Out Burger, BBQ, and Pizza.

We wanted to try and give her many experiences she hadn't had before. We took her to the mall...boy, did she love shopping! We took her to Costco...everyone needs to experience that! She was terrified of dogs when she got here...they were great friends by the second week. We taught her to play lots of games...which she loved! Colten taught her some card tricks...which she became pretty proficient at. She had her first experience on a trampoline. Niki was scared to death. She spent a couple days watching the kids. Finally, we talked her into trying it out. She loved it. Then she got brave and jumped with the kids in the water. You see, here in Arizona a trampoline can be used year-round. In the winter it is perfect...in the summer, add a sprinkler and you have hours of summer entertainment. At some point she was bit by something little and inconspicuous...and WOW! We ended up needing to take her to the Emergency Room! She started breaking out in all of these little welts...literally multiplying before our eyes. When Haley brought her into the house she had 1...by the time we arrived at the ER there were 14. By the time the doctor saw her...there were to many to count. Once they gave her some medications...she started to feel better and was as good as new by the next morning! The highlight of the whole ordeal was when the admitting person, after having explained that she was a Foreign Exchange Student, etc., asked her if she had traveled outside of the U.S. in the last 30 days. Hmmm...that was unbelievable!

She was introduced to the WII...but, I think Guitar Hero took the prize. She LOVED it!! She cooked us an amazing Chinese Dinner. We took her to an Oriental Market, bought her the things she needed, and away she went. She was so excited that the food all turned out so well. She explained to me that these "dumplings" (which reminded us of Potstickers) were only made and eaten for their Spring Festival. It is the biggest celebration of the year. With the amount of time and effort that went into making them...I can understand why. They were DELICIOUS!

Niki was an amazing piano player! She would play for hours...the music was a beautiful addition to our home. I have never heard my piano sound so wonderful! She was an absolute joy to have in our home. She had a beautiful smile, a contagious laugh, and complete excitement and awe about every new thing she encountered! She left this morning...we were all sad to see her go and it was difficult to say goodbye. It amazes me how quickly she fit, so perfectly, into our family...and how big of a whole she is leaving behind. She will be missed!