A kid from Idaho doesn't like chocolate at all

Who doesn't really like chocolate? Chocolate is everywhere in every store; it really shows a great demand of chocolate in United States.  However, I met a kid named Jimmy Hancock, he doesn't like chocolate at all.  This clip is an interview with Hancock, who grew up in Idaho Falls, Idaho. 
Since he was very young, he hated to eat chocolate because of the influence from his parents.
Perhaps the way he suggested can help our generations to avoid over eating chocolate!

An International Student in Rexburg, Idaho

I am thankful that I had the opportunity to interview Jaime Barajas, who is a currently receiving his college education in Rexburg, Idaho.  We always think we understand the international students in the United States; do we really understand them much? This is a great opportunity for us to have more understanding about these international students, their concern, and their challenges.
Barajas also shared with us a very interesting story about how he greeted a girl at his first time here in the United States.

Left Style or Right Style? (2)

On the other hand, the seven years of secondary school in Hong Kong indirectly forces the students to seek for good grades alone, rather than learning and application.  All the students must go through the rigors of the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination and the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination in the 5^th grade and the 7^th grade respectively in secondary school.  In order to gain the qualification to enroll in the college, they have to pass these two exams.  As a result, the students mostly study for grades alone.  Also, most of the students lose the opportunity to choose the right major they have passion for because they don’t have good grades.  They are assigned to study what they don’t want to.  Conversely, the middle school and the high school in U.S. provide more opportunities for students to develop their potentials.  It encourages the student to have relatively more incentive to pursue the right majors in college.  They have more flexibility to choose what they want to become in the future.

Certainly, there is no way we can unify the education of the U.S. and Hong Kong as one.  It is because each system involves many different factors that can affect the formation of the system such as historical and political reasons and perhaps the needs of each country as well.  In spite of the difference between the U.S. and Hong Kong, they can still benefit each other as a whole.

Left Style or Right Style? (1)

In the eyes of general Americans, especially for those who are in the educational field such as professors and college students, their perceptions of Chinese students who are studying in the United States are mostly the same.  They assume all Chinese students are good at numbers.  It is not surprising as most of the Chinese students in U.S. who are from Hong Kong and mainland China usually receive the post-secondary education in the areas of science and mathematics.

If we look at this circumstance with a scientific mind, probably we can observe that most of the Chinese people are left brain users whereas most of the Americans are right brain users.  Left brain is more like a rational style which the people solve problem by logically and sequentially looking at the parts of things.  In contrast, right brain is more like an intuitive style which the people solve problems with hunches, looking for patterns and configurations.

The levels and grades are quite similar between Hong Kong and America before graduating from college.  Hong Kong’s system can be divided into 19 levels or grades.  Similarly, America has 18.

People in Hong Kong start their education when they turn to the age of 4 year old.  They enroll in kindergarten for three years, then six years in primary school.  Afterward, they have seven years in secondary school and then a three-year tertiary education.  Even though the length of the academic year for a bachelor degree is quite similar to Hong Kong, Americans start when they are 4 for a year of pre-kindergarten.  It follows by six years of elementary school, three years of middle school and four years of high school accordingly.  Then they study in college for four years.

Because of the difference of the academic patterns between Hong Kong and U.S., students are trained naturally into different ways according to their educational systems.  The three-year kindergarten education in Hong Kong focuses heavily on talking and writing, which demand the usage of the left brain a lot.  For example, those kids receive homework every day from every class without exception.  Usually they have to spend at least two hours to finish it.  It comprises at least several pages of copybook writing and a few pages of vocabulary writing.  However, the system in U.S. is quite different.  They don’t emphasize that much on writing.  The one year pre-kindergarten and the one year of kindergarten in elementary school concentrate more on the usage of the right brain.  Those kids are trained by drawing and manipulating objects, and also asked open ended questions in class.  For example, the teachers ask the kids to draw whatever according to how they feel about things. But the teachers in Hong Kong rarely do it.

Where Are You From?

The world is too big for me to know of every continent, country, and city.  I grew up in Hong Kong, a very fascinating city with many skyscrapers around.  Since I was very young, I always longed for some experiences that allowed me to know the world more through visiting other countries.  There were so many different life styles and cultures I wanted to learn.  This thought was relentless in my mind throughout my whole life.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t even see the sky because of all the tall constructions.  I always wondered if they would swallow me.  I thought I was very inadequate.

A few years ago, I decided to apply for a full-time missionary service.  Certainly, going on a mission should not be regarded as a traveling opportunity, or a way to learn a new language.  In fact, it is a labor of love.  I did not have any speculation on where I would serve, but Heavenly Father gave me a huge surprise when I opened my mission call.  I was assigned to labor in Utah, another continent across the ocean.  I was overwhelming.  I did not know if I could build up a good relationship with the people there because their culture was not the same as in Hong Kong at all.  Nevertheless, it was still a great journey for me to get to know the people with different backgrounds.

In order to keep moving the missionary work forward, I needed to gain trust from the members.  I wanted them to know me; I wanted them to know that I was willing to serve them.  Whenever I saw the members, I seized any opportunity to introduce myself to them.  They were excited to talk to me as well. 

           

One Sunday morning, a middle-aged sister came and greeted me and my companion in church.  She said, “Good morning, Elder Tang!  Where are you from?” I replied, “Good morning, sister!  I am from Hong Kong!”  She was thrilled, “Oh really?  How amazing!  My son-in-law served in Japan!”  I was very confused.  I looked at my companion, Elder Mendenhall, he seemed confused too!  Then I worried if it was because of my accent, she couldn’t hear the words “Hong Kong” very well.  Then I repeated and smiled, “Yeah! I am from Hong Kong!”  She immediately said, “I think he would love to meet with you! He loves the people there in Japan!”  Then I felt something shaking behind me.  Elder Mendenhall tried to hide from the sister and stay behind me because he could not really hold his laugh in.  I didn’t know what to say.  I was at a loss for words at that moment.  I wanted to end the conversation with that sister, but I didn’t want to be flippant.  Then I tried to act congenially.  I said, “Yeah well, sister! I am from Hong Kong!”  She replied with even more passion, “Do you miss home?  Do you miss the food? My son-in-law loves the Japanese food so much! He wants to go back some day!  Will you go back to Japan or do you want to stay here to study after you mission?”  I felt the shake from Elder Mendenhall was getting stronger.  Right before the laugh came out from his month, I said, “Okay, sister!  Good luck with your son-in-law. I think we have to make a phone call to our investigator.”  Elder Mendenhall and I walked outside the church building rapidly.  I couldn’t stop him from laughing.  I felt very embarrassed for my identity.

However, this type of rapports led me to have a similar experience over and over throughout my entire mission. I just needed to learn how to laugh about it.  Different cultures cause some confusions sometime.  Therefore, I gained even more desire to travel the world, because I wanted to tell the people about the place where I am from.

Date or not? (2)

However, before the existence of that relationship, there is no obligation for Jimmy to buy Ashley a meal. He doesn’t need to take her home. Certainly, he can’t hug her or even kiss her. If he does so, she will probably be scared and she will feel that she is being disrespected. And I am sure that Jimmy will become an infamous person among girls.

Saying, “I love you,” to the one you with whom are in a relationship is another critical topic. The Chinese will never use the word, “love,” to express the way they fall in love.  Saying, “I like you,” is enough to show the emotion and passion to each other; the word, “love,’ doesn’t really exist.  However, using the word, “love,” in America between a man and a woman is a big thing.  It involves the element of commitment, which is a big problem when either one doesn’t want to be exclusive to other person. They mostly like to say, “I like spending time with you,” until they realize they are the right one for each other to be in a serious relationship which leads to marriage.

           

Obviously there is a huge cultural difference between the American and the Chinese about man and woman relationship. If a man adopts the, “Going on a date,” mentality its manners to find the right woman, he will lose the trust and respect from other in our Chinese culture because it just seems he is playing around. Correspondingly, if a man adopts the “hanging out” mindset and its manners in the American society, he will probably face the same consequences. Thus, before saying the word “love” and “like” out loud, we should make sure we are at the right place with the right person.

Date or not? (1)

Being attracted to the opposite gender is an intrinsic first step toward a marriage between a woman and a man. When we meet someone and we are attracted to them, generally we hope that we are able to find an opportunity to get to know that person more, so that we can determine if that person can just be a friend, a buddy, or if there is any potential to begin a romantic relationship.  In the culture of the U.S.A., the goal is all about going on a date.

According to Dictionary.com, a date means, “A social appointment, engagement, or occasion arranged beforehand with another person (opposite gender).”  For instance, Jimmy will go out on a date with Ashley on Saturday.  This is the chance for Jimmy to see if there is something between them. He will probably buy her lunch or dinner, do some interesting activities, have some meaningful dialogues that can hopefully be a foundation for deeper conversations in the future. Of course at the end of the date, Jimmy will take her home. Different ways to say goodbye from Jimmy and Ashley,  such as giving a hug or approaching to kiss, will decide if there will be a second date, a third date, starting a relationship or nothing.

In the Chinese culture, which I come from, there is nothing like “going out on a date”. We do “hang out,” though.  Let’s use Jimmy and Ashley again as an example. If Jimmy likes Ashley, probably he will see if there is any way to be a friend with her first. Once they become friends, they will keep hanging out. They will probably talk on the phone as well. They will often find time to do things together instead of just “hang out”.  If they realize that there is any romantic spark,  they will wait for the right moment to express their feeling. It enables them to move on to the next stage as boyfriend and girlfriend.

Who is Denis?

My name is Denis Tang! I grew up in Hong Kong from a family of five. I am the youngest one. Telling others about my family is not my strength at all, as I am still observing what kind of relationships we have. It is more complicated than I can comprehend.

 After serving a full-time missionary service in Utah Provo Mission, I worked as a Marketing Executive in a jewelry company for several months. Then I came here to study in BYU Idaho in September last year. I am majoring Communication as I would like to develop my career in the field of event management in a Public Relation firm or in the film industry. Hopefully, I can find a connection or an opportunity later on that can lead me to work internationally.

I am that kind of people who doesn’t want to settle only at one place in life. I love travelling around. Especially after serving my mission, I came to realize again that I have a great passion on getting to know people. Especially for those they have different cultural background. Whenever I travel in the other country, visiting the hot tour spots is not my first priority, or you could it is not important to me at all. Instead, finding ways to talk to the local people is more interesting. Trying to understand and experience their living style and culture are the real meaning of traveling to me.

Watching movies, especially European movies, is the other thing I enjoy of doing. It is so not like those movies from Hollywood. Nowadays in the Hollywood film industry, they mostly promote their filming and digital technology rather than the real acting skill from the actors. Movies from European focus more on the expression of emotion and feeling among people. Of course the visual effect of the Hollywood can highly stimulate my sense but European movies can inspire me a lot.

I hope you were enjoying of reading even just a little bit about me above.