SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO NOW!

So since I have last written there have been many adventures with my Shanghainese family.

Last week, Melody, the daughter, messaged me saying her parents thought we didn't study enough together and were upset:

• "Hi sara, how are you today? We get a problem. My parents are mad at me cause they judge us have no enough time to study, they dont think you are seriously needed for me. I think we should hav ea talk with them, and we should let them see our study, dont be worry i am on your side!"

This seriously upset me because she and her parents expect different things of me and I don't know who to please. So I took a bold step and called together a meeting so we would be on the same page. I used my limited Chinese to explain how I felt awkward, how they need to all be on the same page in order for me to help, 等。 It turns out they weren't upset with me at all. In fact, they thought I was a good influence on the daughter because I study Chinese and work whereas they feel she just plays video games and chats on QQ (Chinese MSN). The rest of the meeting was me listening to angry Shanghainese parents yelling about their daughter's lack of self motivation.

But even though they don't hate me, they aren't particularly nice to me. The shanghainese around the table is the worst. They know very well that if they spoke Chinese I could understand probably about 60 percent of what they were saying. They don't care if I understand. I am there to do a job, which is teach their daughter English. They are not there to include me in their conversations and life. I don't know if I can handle that. What frustrates me more is that in their advertisement, they wrote that I would help their daughter with English and they could help me with Chinese...baaaah

Anyway, I thought I would make an extra effort to be a part of their family and to help out. SOOO, I made them dinner tonight! I made Minestrone soup, asparagus and fried matzah (seeing how it is passover). It was all pretty tasty. On top of that, the dad made this amazing steamed fish and some sort of bean. Melody invited her grandfather and her best friend. It was lovely. While the Shanghainese at the table is getting to me, I can't expect them to change their daily habits and language for me. I'll just have to deal!

I'll keep you posted on whether I get the boot or not. Right now I think I'm in their good books. The question is, how much longer can I stick this out??