A Fun and Easy Way to Understanding the World

Recently, after talking with some students about cross cultural issues, I came up with an idea on how ordinary Chinese students could learn more about ordinary westerners: make pen pals.

When I was a kid I dabbled with pen pals a bit but got frustrated with the slow response times. I never enjoyed writing snail mails. Now with instantaneous communication in the form of email, instant messaging and text messaging, it is much more satisfying for me.

So I decided to look up some free pen pal websites and I'd like to share it with all my readers, many of whom are Chinese. Most Chinese cannot afford to go abroad to study or even go abroad for a vacation. However, it's not only a money issue, foreign governments like Australia, Canada and the U.S.A. have strict visa issuing policies for Chinese citizens. They have to prove that they have a vested interested in returning to China if they are allowed to go abroad. Why do they do the governments do this? It's because there have been problems with Chinese overstaying their visa or not returning home at all. They land in a foreign country, throw out their passport and disappear into society. With so many Chinese these days living abroad, there is a social network and plenty of underground jobs in Chinese restaurants and Chinese businesses available. I have met a few people like this in Toronto who would regularly send the money they make home to family in China-it may not be much from a Canadian standpoint but it would be worth many times the monthly wages he/she could make back home.

Of course the whole visa application process differs from country to country and by the kind of visa needed, but in general, Chinese have to show that they have family and/or property in China, they have to show bank account statements, as well as various health checks, evidence of no prior criminal history, etc. Contrast this with how easy it is to attain a Chinese work or holidays visa and it almost seems unfair. All that's required to apply for a Chinese visa is to hand over money, a completed application form, your passport and wait a 3-4 days. Hand over even more money and you can get your visa approved by the next day. It's all a money making scheme I think...

Not all is lost though, Chinese can go to some countries visa-free, for example, Thailand, Vietnam, North KoreaMalaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, among some others that escape my mind. One example of a great Chinese traveler/adventurer is Leylop, a recent graduate of Zhejiang University who has already traveled to Europe and much of Southeast Asia since she graduated. This may not sound very impressive to some westerners, but if you knew that most (if not practically all) Chinese who travel abroad do so with organized tour groups, it is even more impressive Leylop travels on her own independently as a single young woman. Her travels and stories are an inspiration to myself and many others who follow her blog. Check her out..