Freddy and Jimmy from Kentucky are going to China for 3 weeks.

I scour the web for stories about people studying Chinese and this one recently popped up.  They have the honor of going to China to study Chinese, visit the Great Wall and head down to Yunan to study Chinese 3 hours a day, mostly in Chinese.  Sounds like a great opportunity for them.  Here are a few quotes from the article.

“I’m kind of a dork,” Jimmy, 19, said. “I’m looking forward to actually taking the language classes and learning a lot – and the food will be good too.”

So, how does studying Chinese and eating Chinese food make you a dork??  You are going to a country of 1.3 billion DORKS!

One of the guys actually took his Chinese class in high school “as a joke.”  But because of the teacher and then actually being able to communicate, he actually liked it and began to excel!

Freddy will celebrate his 18th birthday in China. “I don’t know how many people can say they had their birthday over in China,” he said.

Well, Freddy, a lot of people can say that they had their birthday in China.  About 1.3 billion people can say that.  Plus the thousands of foreigners who live there too.  Plus me.  I would usually enjoy a big mac on my birthday!

“The food – it’s just going to be totally different,” Freddy said. “As long as there’s a KFC around the corner somewhere, I’ll be OK.”

Yes, Freddy.  There will be many KFCs all around.  But just because it’s an American fast food joint doesn’t mean that they can speak English!

The journalist talked to the parents about the trip.  With so much going on in the West and recently an earthquake in Yunan Province…

“I’ve had people say, ‘How can you let him go?’” said Freddy’s mom, Barbara. “How can I not let him go? He is going off to college, and he is 18 years old. It’s the chance of a lifetime.”

This is a huge difference between China and America and how we raise our children.  I’ve seen many Chinese high school students who are about to travel abroad and they could care less, they don’t know really where they are going and when asked if they are excited, they shrug it off.  But with these two boys, it sounds like and most likely it is, their desire to go to China.  It’s what they want and they have had long discussions trying to convince their mom and dad to allow them to go.  But when the mother said, “How can I NOT let them go” to me says very clearly that it is beyond the mother’s ability to stop the child from going.  It would be a profound disappointment if it didn’t work.  But for the Chinese child (and I do mean child) the parents are in control the whole time and they make or break the trip.  If it doesn’t work, well they (mom and dad) will try again sometime.

Then the father speaks:

“The way the world is shaping up, if they come back with any type of a grasp on the Chinese culture and language, I think it could be a big benefit to them in whatever career they choose,” said Jimmy’s dad, Jim.  “The chance to travel abroad like that is going to have an influence on him for probably the rest of his life.”

Jim, he will come back with a grasp of the language.  Jim, it will be a big benefit to his future career.  Jim, it will influence him for his life.  China does that to people.  Especially young people.  Be ready for him to want to go back!

Article found here.