Bill Belew has raised 2 bi-cultural kids, now 34 and 30. And he and his wife are now parenting a 3rd, Mia, who is 8.
Olympic – Cricket
Peter Ueberroth, US Olympic Committee Chairman, is quoted as saying, “The 2008 Olympics will be one of the most significant events for our generation – not only athletically, but culturally, socially and economically as well. It is an opportunity for to demonstrate to the world its progress and influence in areas that transcend athletics.
It was reported in www.usatoday.com that Zhang Huiguang, Beijing’s Capital Ethical, and Cultural Development Office Director, said that changing China’s reputation for brusqueness is “crucial in providing a cultural and historical legacy to the world” for China. The number one issue, she said is Spitting. That’s right, spitting.
Look out! Because the Chinese will let it fly. Anywhere! Anybody! Even that cute young thing will hunker back…okay, that’s dirty.
I love the Chinese and there are a lot of them to love. My wife, Samantha, is ‘Made in ’. Seriously! The Chinese do, however, not have the same manners as Westerners. And the gap is big in some cases. I once saw an older woman squatting on the side of the road taking care of business. (Wait! That was in rural.) Huiguang said that law enforcement officials will step up the frequency of penalties for spitting in public. The current fine is about $6 or 50 RMB.
If they don’t get the average Chinese to change their ways, maybe they can propose the sport of spitting for the 2012 Olympics. That might be going too far.
What do you think?
Talk to Bill and others about their experiences raising bi-cultural Japanese-American kids.
How interesting! Just goes to show how we always need to be understanding of differences between cultures.
I would expect the Chinese to crack down on this, even though it seems perhaps to be a minor or nitpicky issue.
I actually was just wondering the other day how far is the farthest a person can spit. Too bad the Olympics can’t settle that question for me!