Joint Family System

Last week I did a homestay.  I wanted to stay with a local family while Joe was out of town for a meeting.  For me I wanted to live in the culture a bit closer and as well as being immersed in the language.  I'd have to say it was successful week in both of those regards.  It also allowed me to face those DIFFERENCES in the culture and reflect how I respond to them.  Sometimes I get irritated because I just don't understand why people do or believe in the way that they do.  I can write on some of those more specifically another time.

To get back to the title of the post . . . families here have a joint system.  Essentially meaning sons live with their parents after they get married and have kids.  What that meant for the family  I stayed with was that 35 people were living together.  I never got everyone's name down, but I always found someone to talk to.  This family has 11 sons so that is why the number is so high, and why the number could get much higher.  I've attempted to explain our system of moving out of our parent's house often after high school.  It is a completely foreign concept.