**AN AVERAGE DAY WITH
MY HOST FAMILY**
This morning I woke up to the sweet smell of green tea being brought to my room. I sat up and thanked the maid who was standing by the door with a tray and a small porcelain teacup on it. I was in the beautiful guestroom in the emperor Xuanzong's palace. After I finished my tea, I got up and took the beautiful silk robes which were neatly laid out on my bed. The robes were red and purple and they were made from the finest silk.
Since I am staying with the emperor's family, our life was less stressful. We didn't have to do any work unlike others. Soon after breakfast, I went to the market with the emperor's daughter. It were taken there by a sedan chair, since her feet were bound and it was very hard for her to walk. We walked around and bought vegetables and fruits for dinner. After, we were taken around the streets of Chang'an (the capital city). We entered a tent where a lady was selling candles and scented oils. She said they were important and they were used for when we prayed. We arrived back at the palace right on time for lunch. We ate fan (grain) and cai (vegetables). The maid served us rice, cabbage and fish.
After lunch I went horseback riding with the other kids. This was their favorite activity to do for fun. The palace had many stables with beautiful horses! Before dinner we read scrolls about Confucius and his teachings. By the time we were finished, the big table in the dining room was set with all kinds of food on beautiful gold plates. We ate duck, dumplings, fish and a big variety of vegetables. There were even more exotic foods like dried oyster, melon and dates. The adults drank lots of rice wine while the kids dank tea. Since gunpowder was invented during the Tang Dynasty, we had the pleasure of watching fireworks after dinner. It was amazing! Finally it was time to go to bed. I was so tired after such a day filled with fun activities. I had to pray to the gods of our ancestors before I got into bed and fell into a deep sleep. Well, this is how an average day with my great host family went!
Since I am staying with the emperor's family, our life was less stressful. We didn't have to do any work unlike others. Soon after breakfast, I went to the market with the emperor's daughter. It were taken there by a sedan chair, since her feet were bound and it was very hard for her to walk. We walked around and bought vegetables and fruits for dinner. After, we were taken around the streets of Chang'an (the capital city). We entered a tent where a lady was selling candles and scented oils. She said they were important and they were used for when we prayed. We arrived back at the palace right on time for lunch. We ate fan (grain) and cai (vegetables). The maid served us rice, cabbage and fish.
After lunch I went horseback riding with the other kids. This was their favorite activity to do for fun. The palace had many stables with beautiful horses! Before dinner we read scrolls about Confucius and his teachings. By the time we were finished, the big table in the dining room was set with all kinds of food on beautiful gold plates. We ate duck, dumplings, fish and a big variety of vegetables. There were even more exotic foods like dried oyster, melon and dates. The adults drank lots of rice wine while the kids dank tea. Since gunpowder was invented during the Tang Dynasty, we had the pleasure of watching fireworks after dinner. It was amazing! Finally it was time to go to bed. I was so tired after such a day filled with fun activities. I had to pray to the gods of our ancestors before I got into bed and fell into a deep sleep. Well, this is how an average day with my great host family went!
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