Kid goes to China ALONE!!!!

[Worriedmom]

Please help me with any advice you have. My son goes to China for winer break, He took one course of Mandarin in college. He has to switch planes in Beijing to Nanjing . How hars is that? He met a girl online who is supposed to meet him there but who knows. What about the crime? Do they have US embassy there? Will he be able to communicate? here cen we get a phone wih will work here and I will be able to all from US?

PLease!!!! Worried to death. :help:help:help:help:help:help:help:help:help

[jobin]

it certainly would help us understand your problem if we knew his age. if only 8 yrs, then maybe i would be worried too. but if near college age, and interested enough to study the language in college, all will go well for him here. crime against americans very low. the girl will help him cope. the air flights and train rides wil be lots of fun. remind him that the most important thing, beyond all others, is...Don't lose the passport!. hey mom, your worry is your business but he will grow up. best for all if you let him go to find the world and himself.

[anonymoose]

Changing planes in Beijing is like changing planes anywhere else. If you are used to traveling, it's not difficult at all. The only thing is, there are three terminals at Beijing Airport, and they are quite far from each other, so you have to be clear about which terminal the connecting flight will be leaving from, and allow enough time to make the change if neccessary.

The kind of crime that is likely to affect a traveller is fairly low in China. Like anywhere else, you have to be careful of your possessions. Pickpocketing is common in crowded places. But I'd guess violent crime is less likely in China than in the US.

There is a US embassy in Beijing, and a consulate in Shanghai (which is closer to Nanjing).

Any mobile phone purchased in China should be able to call the US. But just ask in the shop to make sure. I don't think that will be a problem.

[tortue]

Calling from a chinese mobile to the US isn't even very expensive. I got a sim card from chinamobile in Beijing recently, and they gave me a leaflet which says that by predialing 12593 a call to the US would be 0.40 yuan per minute, which should be around $0.06.

A monthly subscription of $1 to $2 makes incoming calls free.

And I didn't even choose the type of sim card which is supposed to be a better deal for international calls. Rates may be different in Nanjing though.

[Daan]

As others have pointed out, my reaction would depend on how old he is and what experience he has travelling, really. I travelled quite a bit with my family in my youth, so my own parents generally let me get away with such stunts when I was a bit younger. However, I can imagine you would be worried. Whatever you do, insist you get the contact details for the people he'll be staying with / meeting there. Make sure to confirm he has enough money with him (cash, China's safe enough) to cover for his expenses, including any unexpected expenses such as hotel costs should the girl not meet him. I'm not sure if you meant to say he'll be staying with her or her family.

A pocket dictionary would also be useful, as would copies of all important documents such as his passport, plane tickets, health insurance certificates etc. I'm sure he already knows most of this, but if he wants to put his mum at ease about his travel plans, he wouldn't mind you checking with him. Then again, if he's already graduated from college, he might think it all a bit overdone

[adrianlondon]

My son goes to China for winer break,

If you didn't whine so much maybe he wouldn't need to go ;)

Being serious ... assuming he's old enough to travel unaccompanied (that makes him over 16, right?) then he'll be fine. Beijing airport is a good place to change flights, if dull. It's a huge space, well sign posted, everyone speaks English, and the only issue is that it's much too big for the number of flights and people using it. So it gets boring very quickly.

Nanjing is also a big and no doubt modern city. He'll be fine. Just make sure he knows where he's going in case this girl decides not to meet him at the airport as planned. Crime won't be a special issue. Most likely, the worst that'll happen is a shopkeeper smiles at him while overcharging him. But it's nothing special - they'll even do that to the locals if they don't know how much something costs.

[valikor]

You say "kid" but you also say he took Mandarin in college... so he's not really a kid, right?

Speaking from experience, taking one mandarin course in college will be completely and utterly useless, so he won't be able to communicate in Chinese, but English will be enough in the airports etc...in fact, I know people who have lived in China for 2-3 years and speak no Chinese. It's annoying at times but not cause for concern.

It's not as bad as people think. When I came here, my grandma was sure I was going to die from drinking the water or something. (So far I have not died)

[knadolny]

I love your post. It must have been how my mom and dad felt when I went by myself to China for my first time. I went a few weeks after the SARS mess cleared up in China so my parents were not excited about me heading there at that time. I had studied Chinese for two years by then and had no major problems communicating. After one year he will get by. I had such a great time I went back for a whole year. (prepare yourself now)

Just recently I quit my job in New York (during a recession) and moved to Japan where I don't yet speak the language. So far I'm still alive and have a good job and a loving wife (who I met while I was in China).

That one trip had a huge impact on my life.

best for all if you let him go to find the world and himself.

That's exactly right.

here cen we get a phone wih will work here and I will be able to all from US?

Of course, but will he choose to? I didn't.

[Erbse]

Beijing airport is a good place to change flights, if dull. It's a huge space, well sign posted, everyone speaks English, and the only issue is that it's much too big for the number of flights and people using it. So it gets boring very quickly.

I was at Beijing airport in 2007 and there was a strong rainstorm, so every plane got delayed, some canceled. After my plane from Beijing to Chengdu got canceled they sent me to another plane. I waited at that gate, but it seemed I was the only person to go on this plane. At the time when the boarding should have started nothing happended and I asked someone what's up. He just pointed me to a written paper notice at the wall, all written in Chinese (no English, the guy helped me to translate), which said this plane was also canceled. They finally got me on the right plane at 1 am. In Chengdu the taxi driver dropped me off at the wrong place (he obviously didn't know where 交大北门 was). So at 3 am in an area totally void of people with my Chinese at the ni hao level I had to find my way. Finally I made it, but that was some adventure.

So the question is, how old is your son?

[roddy]

If he survived even a semester of college, China's unlikely to do him any lasting damage.

[taylor04]

I moved to China after studying a year of Chinese in college. I just turned 19 at the time. Honestly it was the best experience of my life and I want to do it again. Your son is not a kid anymore, if you treat him like it you might as well be pushing him away. The best thing you can do it be excited for him, plan the trip with him, write down addresses of hotels etc. This way if that girl doesn't show up then he still has a backup plan. Cabs are relatively cheap, and if you write down addresses it will be easy to get around. You don't have to worry about crime in China, but you need to read about scams. The most common one is overcharging taxis, if you come out of an airport you will have people wanting you to go to their taxi, but you should stand in line with everyone else. Just help him, you will be worried about him, but if you help him plan in detail at least you can be somewhat at ease.

[Xiwang]

The murder rate in my hometown in California is 15 times higher than the official rate in China. I have never felt unsafe here, which is quite different than almost all other places in the world where I've been. (Only North Korea was safer, but that came with a few tradeoffs.)

Most crime against foreigners here is fairly petty (albeit pretty annoying if you are the victim): pickpockets; merchants and cab drivers passing counterfeit money; friendly English-speaking young people who invite foreigners to a bar, coffee shop, restaurant, tea house, etc. and then leave the victim with a bill equal to several hundred dollars.

Your son may want to get Skype set up so that he can make free calls back to the States. If you would like to see his face every so often to make sure that he's eating properly, you can get him a webcam. If he doesn't mind all of the relatives calling him, he can set up a local U.S. Skype telephone number that will ring on his cell phone in China.

[liuzhou]

Someone in this relationship needs to grow up - and I don't think it's "the kid".

[abcdefg]

He will almost surely be kidnapped and sold as a slave to an illegal brick factory or coal mine. Perhaps he will eventually be dismembered and sold piecemeal for "transplant parts." Be sure to say goodbye.

[taylor04]

He will almost surely be kidnapped and sold as a slave to an illegal brick factory or coal mine. Perhaps he will eventually be dismembered and sold piecemeal for "transplant parts." Be sure to say goodbye.

Assuming the dragons don't get him first

[imron]

I was at Beijing airport in 2007

It's changed some since then

[colour wolf]

Im sure he will be fine.

He's pre-arranged a meeting with a girl already too? Now im certain he will be fine, albeit much worse off financially! Im assuming shes Chinese; you had better mail him some money.

[isela]

I'm reminded of 9 years ago when I had to leave China alone for Singapore to attend college.

Back then making international phone calls was still very expensive even with calling cards, yet my parents and I would talk to each other everyday with our way less income.

But now, freewares like Skype, MSN are everywhere available. But we'd only talk one or two times in a week. Each side seems to be living a busy live, and sometimes it's hard just to find something to talk about. I can't tell if I'm growing up or growing selfish and distant after all these years.

Does anybody here share with me my experience/feeling?

Anyway, for your case your son will be gone only for a winter break. Before you know it you'll have your little "xxxx"ie back! So don't worry!

[Hero Doug]

But now, freewares like Skype, MSN are everywhere available. But we'd only talk one or two times in a week. Each side seems to be living a busy live, and sometimes it's hard just to find something to talk about. I can't tell if I'm growing up or growing selfish and distant after all these years.

The thing with this (at least in my opinion) is that since you have spent so much time apart you only know of the big events in each others lives. You weren't there for the little thing like when someone fell over a chair and everyone had a good laugh. Both sides are unaware of the little tidbits and all that's left are the big events; and how often does something big happen?

I suppose you could tell me about the time when your friend fell over a beggar on the sidewalk, but I don't think I'd find it as amusing as you since I wasn't there to see it ;)

[taylor04]

It depends on personality too, I would sometimes go weeks without talking with my parents when I first moved to China. I just never felt the need, especially when my mom tries to make small talk and talk about things that I don't even care about while I lived at home.