{"id":35572,"date":"2013-03-01T08:19:08","date_gmt":"2013-03-01T13:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/?p=35572"},"modified":"2013-03-02T07:38:58","modified_gmt":"2013-03-02T12:38:58","slug":"chinese-students-vw-residents-learn-from-each-other","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2013\/03\/01\/chinese-students-vw-residents-learn-from-each-other\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese students’ visit makes impact"},"content":{"rendered":"

DAVE MOSIER\/<\/strong>independent editor<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A group of 11 Chinese college students who visited Van Wert recently pose with trip coordinator Aaron Burns during a tour of Vantage Career Center. (photo submitted)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It wasn\u2019t only a group of Chinese college students visiting Van Wert and other U.S. cities as part of the Grow, Learn Overseas (GLO) program who learned, and grew, but local residents also were changed positively by the experience of hosting students from another country.<\/p>\n

The 11 Chinese students spent three weeks in the United States, with much of that time in Van Wert, although the group also spent time in Chicago and Ohio\u2019s Amish country as part of the trip.<\/p>\n

Pastor Jim Burns of Liberty Baptist Church, whose son, Aaron, lives in China and coordinated the students\u2019 visit to America, said he was amazed at how much impact the Chinese students\u2019 visit made on church members who helped house the young people.<\/p>\n

\u201cGLO Ohio and our Chinese guests coming to Van Wert County made the biggest impact on our local church than anything I have ever experienced in my 37 years of pastoring in four different churches,\u201d Rev. Burns said of the experience.<\/p>\n

For many of the Chinese students, the trip was eye opening — and life changing — because of the friendly local residents they met. Although their English wasn\u2019t always the greatest, the thoughts they shared were. Here\u2019s what they said:<\/p>\n

Wu \u201cLeo\u201d Qinyan, a student from Nanjing, spoke in lofty terms, noting that his visit to Van Wert \u201cmeant a chance to experience the American life, to know the American spirit, to befriend American people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the most meaningful experiences for the Chinese students were events that most Americans would take for granted. Liu \u201cClaire\u201d Wenjing, a student from Yantai, China, said visiting Mayor Don Farmer\u2019s office, as well as the Van Wert police and fire stations, was meaningful because she wasn\u2019t able to do so in China. \u201cWe can\u2019t be accessible to those places in China,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trip to Van Wert makes me know deeply about unconditional love, which cannot easily be found in the areas I working,\u201d said Zhang \u201cEden\u201d Xiaoping, who lives in the Chinese capital of Beijing. \u201cI learn how to be humble, how to be kind, how to be strong \u2026 I love these people and I would try my best to see them again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy visit to Van Wert is a turning point,\u201d said Zhang \u201cFlorence\u201d Yaxing, who lives in HanDan. \u201cI feels lots of love for the very first time come into my life. The most important and unforgettable part is new friends and families (which) are a great sum of treasure for my whole life. I love them forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gao \u201cJackson\u201d Gao Jiaqian of Dongguan said he enjoyed \u201cnot only the beautiful sights, but the people there. It was such a blessing to me that I had the chance to visit Van Wert.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Yuan \u201cJessie\u201d Dongyang of the Chinese city of Zhengzhou, her time in America \u201cis the most precious memory in my whole life, and I\u2019m so lucky to have a family there. I will never forget what I experiences in the USA.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe visit in Van Wert broadened my view and opened my heart because of all the love shown by the people we met, and all the amazing things that we tried for the first time together,\u201d said Zhang \u201cLynn\u201d Ruilan, also of Dongguan.<\/p>\n

Zhang \u201cMary\u201d Lin of Nanchang, China, noted that \u201cthe visit to Van Wert let me understanding what love really is, and it\u2019s unconditional.\u201d<\/p>\n

Han \u201cNancy\u201d Xiaonan of Luoyang, China, said she was grateful for the chance to visit America and Van Wert. \u201cThis is a great memory in my life, and I will never forget about the love and care I got from all of the people in Liberty Baptist Church and my host family,\u201d she said. \u201cTheir love and encouragement make me feel braver and stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lu \u201cScott\u201d Yang of Shandong, China, noted that, before his trip to Van Wert, \u201cI was confused and trying to find the meaning of life; as time went by, I lost my hope and did everything passively. Life a touch of sunshine, it (the trip) brought me hope and made my life brighter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zhang \u201cSophia\u201d Xiao of PuYang, China, said that, because of her poor English, she didn\u2019t dare to speak with people in that language before coming to America, adding, \u201cbut when I arrived to America, I found the people are all very friendly to me; they all took care of me, make me feel warm, so I become confident. I\u2019m very thankful for all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liberty Baptist members who participated in the cultural exchange program agreed with the Chinese students that the experience was memorable and also helped them understand that, while the government of China may not be something Americans like, the Chinese people, which the students represented, was a different story.<\/p>\n

Van Wert City Schools psychologist Doug Grooms and his wife, Sandy, said the experience was very positive. \u201cWe were truly blessed to host Nancy and Jessie in our home as part of GLO; we enjoyed having them cook for us and to have them try our foods,\u201d the couple said. \u201cIt was fun to see them grow so much through their friendships with the other Chinese students and the people they met here in Van Wert. This experience has made a lasting impact, not only for them, but also for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sue Eickholt agreed. \u201cThe students were a very receptive group of kids, very appreciative of anything we did or gave them. It didn\u2019t take them long to use the words \u2018I love you\u2019 and really mean it,\u201d she said. \u201cThey were loving and eager to be involved in any activity. I really believe we planted some good thoughts about a country with freedom of religion and a better way of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ashley Kittle said the three weeks she spent with the Chinese students \u201cwill be forever etched in my memory. I thought by having them here we could teach them a few things about life, but, in reality, they taught me more than I ever taught them.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmericans take so much for granted,\u201d she added. \u201cThe Chinese students were full of love and happiness and such a good example to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Local couple Doug and Marcia Germann have hosted other exchange students, but said having two students was really fun. “They could communicate with each other in a comfortable language and together help clarify something to us if we weren’t understanding,” Marcia Germann said.<\/p>\n

“Hosting the students gives us the chance to more personally understand how different their lives are from ours and how we have similarities,” Doug Germann added.<\/p>\n

Marcia Germann said some of the more interesting experiences were those that involved the Germann farm operation and the animals they have there, including the cows they saw in the Germann’s backyard. “We also have horses, and most of them had never seen a real horse before,” she said, adding that the “open spaces” of Van Wert County was also a shock to the city-dwelling Chinese students.<\/p>\n

She also noted that the differences in culture between Americans and Chinese were something she hadn’t considered. “They aren’t used to seeing smiles on people’s faces, which is what several of them told me they loved about our area,” Marcia Germann said.<\/p>\n

Lisa Hawn said the experience allowed her to get a glimpse of a bigger world outside America. \u201cGLO Ohio has opened my eyes to what\u2019s on the other side of the globe,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was so exciting to see the Chinese experience life here and they were so appreciative of everything, something we could take a not of. They definitely made their mark here and won\u2019t be soon forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n

Terry Reynolds said he learned that people everywhere had a lot in common, as well as their differences. \u201cSome of the things I came away with is that the students, even as far away as China, are the same people,\u201d he said. \u201cThey have some of the same fears, joys and laughter as we have.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also noticed the way they responded to the freedoms that people in the U.S. have, and how they do not have those freedoms in China.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aaron Burns, who has lived in China for a number of years, said he was very pleased with the way the trip turned out. \u201cGLO Ohio is simply amazing and a blessing to be a part of,\u201d he said. \u201cAs the coordinator, it was so encouraging to see the Van Wert community come together to make a difference in these lives from China.<\/p>\n

Burns said he has been in touch with each of the Chinese students since their visit to the United States and all of them now have a great impression of America: \u201cThe people they were able to meet and become friends with, and the love that they saw in people working together in unity simply for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also thanked those who took the time to make a difference in the Chinese students\u2019 lives and hopes that a second trip can be arranged because of the success of this one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DAVE MOSIER\/independent editor It wasn\u2019t only a group of Chinese college students visiting Van Wert and other U.S. cities as part of the Grow, Learn Overseas (GLO) program who learned, and grew, but local residents also were changed positively by the experience of hosting students from another country. The 11 Chinese students spent three weeks […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-31 14:42:17","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35572"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35572\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}