VALPARAISO | You pay property taxes every year?

That fact of home-owning life came as a surprise to English teacher Hongyan Lou, of Hangzhou, China, during a tour of local on-the-market homes Thursday. In China, she said, property taxes are paid once, up front.

Lou and 13 colleagues are taking part in a month-long program at Valparaiso University designed to strengthen their skills in English and their knowledge of American life.

Lou was also struck by the spaciousness of the 2,800-square-foot home the group was touring on the city's west side.

"It's really big -- and three stories," she said. "I can't imagine. Can I own one in the future? I don't think so."

In Hangzhou, Lou lives with her husband and daughter in a three-bedroom apartment they own of about 1,300 square feet.

Jimin Wang button-holed realtor Nick DiToro to ask about utility costs, down payments and the factors that go into a house's price.

In China there is a "big four" of banks which are involved in home financing, said Wang, who invests in real estate on the side, and there is one fixed interest rate, whatever the location, size or buyer.

DiToro explained that in the United States any bank can make a loan for home purchases and interest rates will vary by buyer and credit rating.

Thursday's field trip into the world of home ownership was part of a course looking at aspects of the American Dream, professor John Ruff said.

Among other up close encounters with American life, the teachers have visited the Porter County Fair, Valparaiso High School and the Banta Senior Center.

The group will meet with Mayor Jon Costas to hear about the U.S. system of participatory government and visit Chesterton's European Market and the Michigan City Lighthouse.

By immersing the Chinese visitors in American culture, the program aims to help them become better English teachers. They are taking courses on American culture and society, English writing and teaching English as a second language. They will attend a series of lectures by faculty in VU's education department.

The teachers are from Zhejiang University of Technology, the partner university for VU's recently opened Confucius Institute. They will complete their stay in the United States with visits to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.