Milpitas Families Host Teens from China

From shopping at the Great Mall to sampling burgers at In-N-Out, teens from China got a mega-dose of American culture during their first visit to the U.S.

Nine high school students from Huizhou, China, an hour's drive from Hong Kong, are staying with host families in Milpitas as part of a cultural exchange with the sister city. 

"The whole point is to take the kids, put them in homes, let them see how we live, how is it different from what they do there," said Dennis Grilli, president of the city's Sister City Commission. who toured Huizhou two years ago with 16 Milpitas High students, three teachers and then-Principal Chuck Gary.  

Instead of the sister city commissioners hosting the students, the opportunity was presented to Milpitas High School parents who have children of similar ages. The arrangement made day-to-day activities easier, because the Huizhou students accompanied the sons and daughters of the Milpitas host families to classes. Some became conversation partners for students taking Chinese language classes.

In the afternoons and evenings, families were encouraged to take the teens out–with one caveat.

"I discouraged the families from feeding them Chinese food," said Grilli, who instead suggested pasta and Mexican food to broaden their food experience in the U.S.

As a host, Robert Jung took his teenage guest to McDonald's, explaining that the menu is different in China. McDonald's restaurants in Hong Kong carry tapioca milk tea on the menu, and other locations of the fast-food chain in China serve porridge.

"You still have golden arches and all that," he said, "but the taste is different." 

As far as activities went, Gunawan Alisantosa's wife took her teens to see Disney on Ice. Dave Blackburn took his two kids and their guest to the drive-in theater to see Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole. And Nancy Leung decided to tour Stanford University with the delegation of Huizhou teens. She had a special tour guide lined up–her son Wesley, a Milpitas High valedictorian now studying computer science at Stanford.

One of the students from the sister city is staying in his room for the week.

"I asked him for permission first," Nancy Leung said, jokingly.

As the sun faded, the group made their last stop at the Stanford University bookstore to buy souvenirs. The delegation leaves Saturday morning to fly to Washington, D.C. , where they will stay for a few days before venturing to New York. 

The students' families paid for the trip expenses, according to the Huizhou teacher who accompanied the students from Hua Luo Geng High School. The city of Milpitas paid for Wednesday's field trip to San Francisco, which included a tour on the Blue and Gold Fleet ferry and window shopping at Pier 39, said Dennis Grilli. The city has a fund dedicated for hosting visitors.

In November, the vice-mayor of Huizhou and a delegation of city officials will come to Milpitas. Grilli said the city has a policy of not seeking out business contracts with sister cities. 

"The purpose of the relationship is to further social and cultural exchange," he said.