Response to pages 325-350

It’s always tricky when parents come into town to visit.  When Hessler’s father visited, I felt like it was very difficult for him.  Right off the bat, the hotel was causing problems due to the whole passport issue.  It made me angry that because they are American, they are treated so differently.  When Chinese people come to America, for the most part, they are not treated differently but rather with respect.  In addition, Hessler’s father got sick.  From personal experience, nothing is worse than getting sick when you travel.  It was a shame that by the time he was completely better, he had to turn around and go back.  I think there was more success in the story with Adam’s parents.  Adam’s parents tried to find something to do right from the beginning to enjoy their stay and be busy.  They idea was a lecture with the college students.  As soon as I read that this was their plan, I was a little nervous because from previous readings, Chinese are not that respectful to Americans.  This was different though because they were students.  Mr. Wang also thought it was a bad idea and did not make it easy to plan or deal with.  What made these pages worth reading for me was that they students showed up even though the class was canceled.  They had a productive lecture and was totally worth it.  I think Hessler is showing different aspects of Chinese culture because of the issues with the hotel but also the positive results of the lecture.