Foreign exchange student uses words to paint a picture of his country
When it comes to comparing cultures between Amish Country and China, chances are good that there are a lot more differences than there are similarities.
When Berlin Elementary sixth-grade teacher Sherri Hochstetler recently began a social studies class featuring China, there were plenty of questions from the students about topics such as race, religion, sports, customs, cultures and geography. With so many questions, she figured why not have someone come in and speak who has lived the China experience.
Enter David Lee, a foreign exchange student who attended Hiland High School as a junior two years ago. Wildly popular during his time at Hiland, Lee fell in love with the community, the people and the culture of Amish Country, and when asked to come back and talk to the sixth-graders at Berlin Elementary, he was quick to accept, knowing that he could share his vast knowledge of China in ways that the Internet and textbooks never could.
“People here were so kind and friendly from the very beginning, and I felt right at home, so it was easy for me to come back to East Holmes and talk to the kids today,” said Lee, who, after attending military school in Virginia for a short time, as well as attending school in San Francisco, is now a senior at Central Christian High School. “I really enjoy talking to people about my culture in China. I know that there are a lot of questions and misunderstandings that people here have about China,”
Lee spoke to several different sixth-grade classes, describing his home nation, talking about food, the language, the cultures and customs and answering questions that the students had about the nation and its people.
One question that kept coming up was whether or not China had freedom of religion. Many children thought they did not, but Lee said that was not the case anymore.
“Decades ago they used to arrest Christians, but they realized that was bad for our country and a bad idea that was hurting our country, so they changed it,” said Lee. “Today, you are free to worship however you want.”
Another huge topic was food. Students here eat at Chinese restaurants and believe they are getting a taste of China. Lee said otherwise.
“What you have here is what I call American Chinese food,” said Lee with a laugh. “I don’t like this kind of food. It is not authentic Chinese food. It has been geared toward American tastes.”
Lee also talked about how the population of China — 20 percent of the world’s population lives there today — has forced China to implement the one child for one family law, which began in Lee’s parent’s generation.
“The population in China is exploding, and there are so many people they had to limit the number of children as a way of birth control,” said Lee. “Chinese people are everywhere. Who knows, you may open up your box of cereal in the morning and find a Chinese person in there,” a comment which elicited great laughs from the class.
He also talked about the misconceptions Americans have about Chinese, including the notion that everyone in China knows kung fu.
“People see it in movies so they think it is true,” said Lee of the kung fu idea. “In reality, we all play ping-pong. There are ping-pong tables everywhere.”
Hochstetler had her class involved with an in-depth study of the Great Wall of China, and many of the questions and comments were geared toward that topic, as students showed Lee what they had learned about his nation’s biggest icon.
But she knew that someone like Lee would be able to paint a picture of China that she could never approach through her textbooks.
“We’ve been talking about the Chinese culture, and I knew that if I could get some real Chinese background in here that it would sink in better for the kids,” said Hochstetler. “David is a fantastic resource. The kids had a ton of questions, and so did I, concerning China. I think by bringing in someone like David, it really creates a great learning atmosphere for the kids. It makes our study very real for them.”
Lee’s easy demeanor and quick wit fit in nicely with the sixth-graders, who had a lot of fun listening and learning.
From China to Amish Country to San Francisco, Lee has experienced many very different cultures over the past several years. It is a good start for a young man who hopes to visit 50 different countries in his lifetime, and has set that as his goal.
But for now, he is just enjoying being back in Amish Country, and living among people whom he now calls his friends and family, and a place he now calls home.
“It feels great to give back,” said Lee. “This community is the best, and while there are many wonderful things here, it is because of the people that I feel the best about coming back and sharing.”
When Berlin Elementary sixth-grade teacher Sherri Hochstetler recently began a social studies class featuring China, there were plenty of questions from the students about topics such as race, religion, sports, customs, cultures and geography. With so many questions, she figured why not have someone come in and speak who has lived the China experience.
Enter David Lee, a foreign exchange student who attended Hiland High School as a junior two years ago. Wildly popular during his time at Hiland, Lee fell in love with the community, the people and the culture of Amish Country, and when asked to come back and talk to the sixth-graders at Berlin Elementary, he was quick to accept, knowing that he could share his vast knowledge of China in ways that the Internet and textbooks never could.
“People here were so kind and friendly from the very beginning, and I felt right at home, so it was easy for me to come back to East Holmes and talk to the kids today,” said Lee, who, after attending military school in Virginia for a short time, as well as attending school in San Francisco, is now a senior at Central Christian High School. “I really enjoy talking to people about my culture in China. I know that there are a lot of questions and misunderstandings that people here have about China,”
Lee spoke to several different sixth-grade classes, describing his home nation, talking about food, the language, the cultures and customs and answering questions that the students had about the nation and its people.
One question that kept coming up was whether or not China had freedom of religion. Many children thought they did not, but Lee said that was not the case anymore.
“Decades ago they used to arrest Christians, but they realized that was bad for our country and a bad idea that was hurting our country, so they changed it,” said Lee. “Today, you are free to worship however you want.”
Another huge topic was food. Students here eat at Chinese restaurants and believe they are getting a taste of China. Lee said otherwise.
“What you have here is what I call American Chinese food,” said Lee with a laugh. “I don’t like this kind of food. It is not authentic Chinese food. It has been geared toward American tastes.”
Lee also talked about how the population of China — 20 percent of the world’s population lives there today — has forced China to implement the one child for one family law, which began in Lee’s parent’s generation.
“The population in China is exploding, and there are so many people they had to limit the number of children as a way of birth control,” said Lee. “Chinese people are everywhere. Who knows, you may open up your box of cereal in the morning and find a Chinese person in there,” a comment which elicited great laughs from the class.
He also talked about the misconceptions Americans have about Chinese, including the notion that everyone in China knows kung fu.
“People see it in movies so they think it is true,” said Lee of the kung fu idea. “In reality, we all play ping-pong. There are ping-pong tables everywhere.”
Hochstetler had her class involved with an in-depth study of the Great Wall of China, and many of the questions and comments were geared toward that topic, as students showed Lee what they had learned about his nation’s biggest icon.
But she knew that someone like Lee would be able to paint a picture of China that she could never approach through her textbooks.
“We’ve been talking about the Chinese culture, and I knew that if I could get some real Chinese background in here that it would sink in better for the kids,” said Hochstetler. “David is a fantastic resource. The kids had a ton of questions, and so did I, concerning China. I think by bringing in someone like David, it really creates a great learning atmosphere for the kids. It makes our study very real for them.”
Lee’s easy demeanor and quick wit fit in nicely with the sixth-graders, who had a lot of fun listening and learning.
From China to Amish Country to San Francisco, Lee has experienced many very different cultures over the past several years. It is a good start for a young man who hopes to visit 50 different countries in his lifetime, and has set that as his goal.
But for now, he is just enjoying being back in Amish Country, and living among people whom he now calls his friends and family, and a place he now calls home.
“It feels great to give back,” said Lee. “This community is the best, and while there are many wonderful things here, it is because of the people that I feel the best about coming back and sharing.”
Published: November 7, 2011
