My school has a small program for international students and there are a number of Chinese students enrolled in our classes. These students are far from home, enmeshed in a world that is utterly foreign to them. In U.S. History, this fact is abundantly clear and they work hard to make sense of such ideas as the Founding Fathers and New England…..ideas that make innate sense to native Americans but which require a bit more explanation when you are from another country. The students work hard and do succeed, but I am always aware of how often they have to pause to make sense of our corner of the world.
Today, after lunch, my U.S. History class had a quiz. It was a nice day and I opened the windows to the breeze and the fresh air. As the students took the quiz, we could hear the sounds of a string quartet playing outside. The music wasn't familiar to me, but it sounded lovely. As the students handed in their quizzes, we talked about the music we were hearing. None of the Americans recognized the tune, but all three Chinese girls did and with broad, happy smiles, they explained that the song they knew well; the story of a girl and boy in love. A universal story, really. It was the sound of home, one of the girls said, and then all three grinned as they enjoyed the comfort of a little familiar territory.
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