Hehe sounds a little like me.
You will get to know her better when you meet her. Of course we can't know each others truly before meeting face to face and spending months or years together.
But what is good, that you can live in her home. You will get to see her daily routines, daily life etc. And she can also know you better. By being together most of the time.
Practicing Chinese. Oh I wish I knew a lot more on my first trip. The family I stayed with, well the father at least was a little offended for me not being able to communicate with him.
Same with her friends. Almost nobody knew proper English. But sign language... Will get you understood at least.
This time, soon my 2nd trip. I've studied 4 months rather hard and sometimes not so hard mandarin Chinese. Its amazing, after you learn "enough". As to understand basics. After that it gets so much easier I think. The "middle part" of learning Chinese feels easy. Start and the end are really hard...
But I wish you a good trip! Hope everything goes well! You must be excited hehe. And I think her family will like you no matter what, as long as you are not a bad guy which you clearly are not.
Have you practiced using chopsticks? And mentally prepared to eat literally all kinds of foods. Be noted. Its best if you don't ask what the food is as long as it does not taste bad... Once you learn what it is. Oh my god, you never want to eat it again haha...
Of course when staying at her home. If somebody comes or leaves. Try to say something even something little like "ni zou le, zai jian" you're leaving, goodbye. Or if somebody comes back "ni hui lai le" you're back.
Hmm and keep asking her all the time. If what you are doing is right/polite in Chinese culture and customs... I did all the time. But for some crazy reason, they wanted to be polite to me. And always said "it is ok"... And afterwards I found out I had not been that polite, helpfull etc... The total opposite what I was told there haha... But it was more important for them to make me feel comfortable and happy etc. Than telling the truth and teaching me what would be the proper way of doing/saying something...
If you like card games. You could ask them to teach you. It is a really good way to spend time together with her friends and family.
Oh I think you will go/be taken to KTV as well. Hehe. They want you to sing a lot.. Because they want you to feel comfortable... But if you really don't want to sing and can't sing like me haha... It is ok to say no politely. Or something like you sing... I don't know any of these songs... Even though there is a million of English songs there too... I ended up singing Eminem, Linkin Park, U2, Westlife and god knows what else just because I was a little familiar (not too much) with those songs. And they kept demanding I sing...
What else hehe. It is ok to say if the food is tasteless at the start... They think foreigners can't take _ANY_ spices at all... I thought that this is what the food should be like at the start. But later found out they just had assumptions and the food was tasteless to them as well because they wanted to be polite... After that they added more and more until it was even too much for most of them too... But I was fine...
Drinking. The men there will definately make you do this. Most likely related to KTV visit or just some random bar... They drink low alcohol % beer and whiskey mixed with sugar tea... So make your choice. They tend to get drunk rather easily as well. So you might be made to drink double than rest of them hehe...
Take pictures! Pictures of you two together. And make the police registration asap as well (save it and copy of it). If later on she wants to visit you, marry etc. Those will help a lot proving that you are for real.
Presents. I am always told. Not to bring anything... But they actually want something. But are being too modest to ask for anything even if they really want something. So I never had any clue what to give... But something foreign and preferably from your country or home town. That has some kind of story or meaning.
I wonder if any of this will help. Have an open and happy mind. And everything will go really nice I believe. But you have an open mind I think, because you are already this far as going there in person hehe.
