Originally Posted by
trueblu
By the way, the 'amazing China experience' you want your son to have is probably to learn about real Chinese culture -- and that will come far more by living with real Chinese people, not rock climbing or taking photos with a Nikon or some other branded digital camera. And since the guide will speak English, how will it improve your son's Chinese language skills?
+1
Originally Posted by
DaileyB
There is no one in my family who speaks good English.
The guide speaks very good English..<snip> She has come up with amazingly good ideas for Mark to explore Wuhan, such as a rock climbing, paintball, and exploring the European section with a Nikon camera.
(underline mine)
These arrangements sound like a summer camp/excursion in a city, with an English-speaking (local) babysitter.
That can take place in any part of the world. It doesn't have to be in Wuhan. And from reading your threads about this summer trip for your son, I am certain he doesn't need to polish his English.
I think by the end of the day, what you need to ask yourself is
what you REALLY want to accomplish by sending Mark to Wuhan this summer? And how to best reach those goals? I thought it was spending time with his (Chinese) families, studying the language (Mandarin), and immersed in the local culture. IMHO, that's not bundled with spending time with a 23-year-old college girl speaking English, no matter how good, generous and willing she is.
Before sending Mark to Wuhan, you've already known the language barrier between him and his Chinese relatives. I doubt you'll see any significant improvement in English from your Chinese relatives for the years to come. But they will always be Mark's extended family, if you want Mark to stay connected with families from his mother's side. I say learning how to successfully communicate with relatives that can't do English shall be a good part of Mark's "enrichment curricula" while in China. There's a much better chance for Mark to speak good Mandarin to the relatives in the future.
Anyone can, and will get bored when surrounded by people who don't speak a common language. You know your son well and how he can handle himself. That's a big plus for both of you. If I were you, I would think of some ways for my kid to overcome those cultural and language obstacles and really take advantage of those 5 weeks to experience China. Kids pick up languages much faster and easier than adults. When they know they need to speak the local language in order to survive and/or not get bored, they will learn the language in a heartbeat.
Spending more than a decade of my adulthood living in the States, I don't learn about American culture by speaking Chinese to my fellow Taiwanese. I tried my best to watch local TV/news programs, read books/magazines/newspapers, and speak English as much as I possibly could. I have American friends that showed me their local cultures. Some eventually become my best friends. I am not saying your son will be able to make a BFF from China in 5 weeks. However, to spend every possible moment in Chinese with Chinese people/relatives will definitely help him "see" China. That's probably one of the best ways to experience cultural shocks.
Originally Posted by
DaileyB
Additionally, when they do take Mark out, they feel obligated to give him gifts. Several days ago he was taken shopping and not understanding the economics of the situation, he asked for and received an expensive shirt. (Gifts to children are the one area where the family is not always frugal.) I want to avoid that situation, and would like him to go shopping with the guide and be spending my money.
Isn't that also a teachable moment for you to your son?