This may sound strange at first, but it is true.

A young woman asked me to check her application package for going to a university in the US, where she will spend two years doing her research as part of her Ph.D. thesis work. I noticed the name of her host in the US being a Chinese name, and advised her to interact with non-Chinese while in the US. She wrote me back, and told me that there are many Chinese in this group.

She is not alone, to be in the US but surrounded by Chinese. A young man, a college student, is working at a lab as an intern this summer in Hawaii. He noticed that everyone in his group, who is older than he, is Chinese. To my relief, they all speak English at work, and to my delight, he is picking up some Chinese. (I was going to write a Blog with a title, say "Being in China, without leaving Hawaii.")

At my own workplace, we have more Chinese visitors than people from any other country. In a way, it's nice and cozy; there may not be any need to speak English daily. However, is this what you really want, to be in the US but feel like still in China? (And if the answer is yes, by all means enjoy your visit.)

I wish one day soon that I will be in China, but feel like still in Hawaii... Hey, one should always dream. And who knows, my wish may come sooner than you think...