<p>Rassias has excellent summer homestay programs and one goes to China.</p>
<p>My son is currently on a one month visit to China with a group from his university. He does not speak the language and is just there to experience the culture a bit. He is currently at Xi’an - staying in university dorms. He will also spend about a week touring in Shanghai and Beijing. We are able to communicate daily via text through his google voice number and are also able to Skype. He seems to be enjoying his time; however I think the vast number of people is quite a culture shock for him. Our whole state has less than 10% of the population of the city of Xi’an. He finds the food interesting (serving chicken with the head on was rather odd), but he is supplementing his diet with good old American junk food. He said everything is very cheap (except Starbucks which is more expensive than here). They have modern bathrooms in the dorm; however they only have access to hot water for 1 1/2 hours each morning. They also do not have clothes dryers so his clothing is a little stiff after being washed at the Chinese laundry. Overall I think he is enjoying the experience.</p>
<p>I hope your kids enjoy their visits to China.</p>
<p>And don’t forget the gas masks they wear over there. Thats what all the locals have. They wear them all over like its hip.</p>
<p>My sister is finishing up a year spent going to high school in Beijing and living with a host family, and she is extremely sad that she has to come back to America. I think she’ll be looking forward to going back to China whenever possible. She loves the culture, the food, the people… I think one of her major goals in life to spend as much time in China as possible. I don’t blame her: I visited her for two weeks and it was absolutely incredible. We both loved Beijing and Xian, but Shanghai felt a lot like New York. I’d warn some caution if you are very asthmatic though: Beijing at least has dreadful smog.</p>
<p>I’ve been living in Beijing for about a year-and-a-half. Our S graduated from a Canadian university last year and has been living (and working) here for about a year. Would be glad to correspond with people in more detail.</p>
<p>S’11 lived in Beijing for a year in HS with a host family. Did a summer at Peking U. Now will probably be heading back in the fall to teach ESL for a year or two after getting his certificate in ESL this summer.</p>
<p>Re Rabies - We lived in Shanghai for 5 years and I didnt get my kids the rabies vaccine until they were traveling to other more remote places on school trips. They are not big animal lovers so not prone to petting dogs. The big danger in China is the limited availability of immunoglobulin which needs to be administered quickly.<br>
If your d/s plans to travel a lot it’s probably worth the peace of mind to get the vaccination series - places like Thailand and Cambodia have a lot of wandering stray dogs…</p>
<p>Thanks Shanghaimom - D wants to get the rabies shots so we’ll do whatever is comfortable for her peace of mind. If she were mostly going to be in Beijing or Shanghai I don’t think it would warrant a thought but she’ll be in a smaller city without much access to western hospitals and no airport.</p>
<p>Anyone spend time or live off the beaten path? Of course most people seem to study, work, live in Beijing or Shanghai. I rarely come across comments from anyone studying or living in the ‘smaller’ cities.</p>
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<p>I don’t doubt that this can be true. I’ve heard and read about some people having negative experiences of that sort. That said, my D is Black and I sent her to China while in high school. She toured several areas of the country and even lived in a yurt in Mongolia for awhile; yes, she’s quite the adventurer. </p>
<p>She understands the cultural significance of race in China but had very positive experiences there. She did receive lots of inquisitive looks and added attention from people who wanted to touch her hair, feel her skin, take pictures with her, and practice their English with her. She said she was an oddity for sure, but was treated with far more celebrity than disdain. She returned home with lots of new friends, pen pals and gifts. </p>
<p>Perhaps the difference is that she is very proficient in the language. I am told she speaks with hardly an accent. So I’m guessing that really helped her out. She has some great stories about bartering in the markets. </p>
<p>She’s there again for the entire summer living with a host family while studying at an advanced language institute in a program sponsored by the US Dept. of State. She is not allowed to speak any English during her entire stay. She’s also planning at least one semester, and perhaps, an entire year abroad when the time comes. </p>
<p>Her safety is really our chief concern. Fortunately, she has not encountered any issues. We have become increasingly comfortable with it over time, but still take every precaution we can think of just in case. I suppose that’s a good thing since she also seems to have her heart set on attending grad school there. I guess we’ll see how it goes when the time comes.</p>
<p>Thank you for giving this thread a new life! D spent last summer in China and will return in a few weeks for a year long stay. She will have almost two months off to travel during January and February. Did any of your kiddos have time to travel on their own? If so, can you share experiences and recommendations? </p>
<p>Any suggestions for the Chinese New Year?</p>
<p>flvadad - you D sounds extraordinary! One of my D’s college friends had the negative experience of being black in China. She felt she was being insulted and treated differently - but never felt threatened. She said she hates China and would never go back - I imagine it is an individual issue/reaction to some point. Of course this is a third hand account coming from me.</p>
<p>Though D hasn’t left yet (got the ticket yesterday!) I too would like to hear about anyone traveling about China, especially off the beaten track. I’m so glad peole are posting on this thread.</p>
<p>Just an update to the rabies shots issue I mentioned earlier in the thread - D went to a travel clinic and they said rabies was not needed, even in the province she will be in that has an issue with rabies.</p>
<p>Hi Guys, just giving this thread a little bump. D is still having a great time in China this summer- loves her host family, enjoying the culture, eating a lot of “interesting” things, etc. I thought I’d share some of the experiences she mentioned when we spoke a couple of days ago. </p>
<p>During the week she’s in class most of each day and usually has a couple hours homework in the evenings so her days are generally structured around school. That said, she’s still found enough time to join a gym and apparently has a personal trainer she describes as tough but “cute” and “really buff.” Not exactly what a dad wants to hear but since she’s also a gym rat this news comes as no surprise. Sounds like she’s still getting in a bit of shopping sightseeing as well - also not surprising. </p>
<p>Her host family includes a young son (the little brother she never had) who she says is “brilliant,” and she’s having a good time spoiling him to death. She bought him a small pet who he promptly named after our dog because he thought it was a cool name. So, if you guys ever run into a turtle in China named “Roxy” you’ll know the backstory. 
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<p>I asked how everyone was treating her and she said everyone she’s encountered has been great. She said when she’s just out around town some people look a bit apprehensive at first, but once she starts speaking they go from surprise - “some of the expressions are priceless,” to being exceptionally nice and friendly. She still gets requests from strangers to take pictures with them, which she describes as a bit odd, almost like they’re standing next to an exhibit at the zoo, but she recognizes she’s probably the first black person many have ever communicated with face to face, “…so it is kind of a thrill; it’s a new experience for all of us - I’ll be bringing home a lot of pictures of them too.” </p>
<p>All in all, my little girl is happy, safe, learning something new everyday, and having a great time. It’s a good summer. :)</p>
<p>Spent a month wandering around all over China ( even in the Yellow Mountains ) Anhui .The funniest thing happened a lot . Son ,who looks very Western ,would often hear people talk about him as they passed by . He happens to be near fluent ,but everyone assumes otherwise ( Chinese ) .He is chubby ,and people would comment in Chinese,that he was very fat . Without missing a beat he would answer in Chinese ," Yes ! I am so chubby because I eat too much Chinese food ! " People would be shocked and start bowing to him ,muttering " So sorry ! " It was always funny to see their faces . Or if we saw a cute little girl ,under 8 ,he would ask in Chinese " Are you married ? " Again total shock ,but then I would take a picture and get a great smile !! Son lived in China teaching English for 5 years ,to gain fluency . He spoke minimal Chinese when he got there . Outside the big cities ,very few people knew enough English to be useful . Also in more remote places ,there are no lodgings that can accept foreigners ,only Chinese .</p>
<p>fauxmaven, that is an interesting story. When we visited China, I always remind our colleagues that do not ever assume the others do not understand English. When our Chinese colleagues visits US, I also tell them that do not assume others do not understand Chinese.</p>
<p>When we went back to China in 2000. We had a lot of fun stories. Since we hold US passport, we always stood in the “foreigner” line. many times we have none Chinese people try to tell us we were in the wrong line.</p>
<p>On one of the tourist bus, DD got into a conversation with a group of american. All people on the bus were surprised how good her English is. Those Amercians would say" wow, that Chinese girl knows so much about US". The Chinese on the bus were equally surprised. Only when they started talking to her in Chinese they realized DD only speaks English.</p>
<p>Wish I could afford to travel to China. I have never been there.</p>
<p>If you want to study abroad in China, you should look at all of your options. There’s a program out there best fits your needs and goals!! Lots of program providers listed on this site, seems like a good resource… [Study</a> Abroad in China | Study Abroad Program Reviews: China](<a href=“http://www.gooverseas.com/study-abroad/china]Study”>Study Abroad Programs in China | Go Overseas)</p>