One of the most significant experiences I had in China was tutoring Dominick (郭维). I was lucky enough to watch him go through an important part of his life; I watched him study 14 hours a day to become the #1 English student in Henan; I went with him to buy his first suit; and I celebrated with him when he earned a full scholarship to one of the best universities in the world (Singapore NanYang Technical University.) In December I saw him off, telling him about living abroad.
He's 6 months in to the experience and came back for summer break. Now that he's back, I got to enjoy watching his reverse culture shock. He says "excuse me" and "sorry" on the streets of China (in English). He talks about what they do in Singapore from every minute detail to every major system. It's wonderful. Anyone who's talked to me within my first week of returning to the states knows that every story I have is about the country from which I just came. While my listeners are annoyed, I loved hearing his tales. Every detail means that he's really assimilating to the culture and building an enjoyable life. It means he'll be happy there. Way to go, Ghost Ninja (that was Dominick's first English name.)
Later Days,
Rick
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