Exploring the Environment of China 2011

The Children of China

by Jim Lebair

This being my first trip this far away from home, I was a bit nervous. I didn't know what to expect, both from the environment, the people, and the lifestyle. However, after arriving in China, seeing the environment, and interacting with the people we met, I suddenly felt more at ease with being abroad. The Chinese people were so welcoming and took friendship so seriously that I felt very at home when in their neck of the woods. I originally wanted to go to China to experience a different way of life- and the people there made that very, very easy.

Once specific part of the Chinese experience was seeing the children of China. I reflect on two memorable times- once, when at the Horticulture Expo in Xi'an, and again at the martial arts school in Xi'an. At the Horticulture Expo, while walking around we got plenty of stares given we were (apparently) not from around there. However, the children reacted in an especially different way- they took to our American looks and lifestyle and really wanted to engage with us and just talk to us. It really made me (and I'm assuming most others) feel pretty special, as if we made their school trip to that expo that much more memorable. Seeing that really made me think about how great it was that the children of China have such a profound respect for everyone- no matter what the differences are.

My second reflection of the children of China was when we visited the martial arts school in Xi'an. While there, we watched the children perform martial arts and then learned, from some of the older guys and girls, a few tricks of our own (although I realized martial arts isn't my calling). The children that were studying there were so devoted to their work, and worked so hard, that they really made me think about what type of kid I was when I was their age. I never had that type of hard-working attitude that these kids had, and I certainly did not enjoy school as much as they did. But their determination and devotion really resembled a lot of what the Chinese stand for- hard work, no matter what.

The children of China really empowered me to think of my own work ethic, and how I can improve on it. Devoting more time to what I believe in, just as the Chinese children do, and possibly having a more open mid while doing it, could really help me advance in my future endeavors. As I said, I had no idea what to expect when coming to China- and the children probably impressed me the most.