My newest adult student is Rita. 30 year old, married Chinese lady with a newly born American son. Both her and her husband (an engineer) are Chinese. You ask how this is possible...well let me tell you. She was 7 months pregnant when she went to LA along with her 6 other pregnant Chinese friends (how are you even able to board an international flight being that far along is beyond me). They worked and shopped under a 6 month work/tour visa respectively until they all popped out their kids with U.S. birth certificates. They were allowed to stay a few months longer after giving birth (I have no idea how that's even possible) at which point they all flew back to China. Most of them cannot speak English nor are they trying to learn, except Rita. Rita works for a film production company in Shanghai and is very anti-China. She only buys and uses foreign products. She's working on her English so that her American son can be in an “American” feeling environment. I'm not sure about the legalities of this but its truly insane, in my opinion, for people to go to these extremes for a US citizenship.
During our first few classes we've discussed everything from bottles, teething rings, formula feeding, to what to buy for diaper rash, and “how can he get free education in middle school?”. I know what you're thinking. All of this is wrong for so many reasons and on so many levels. I told her during my first English session with her, “I don't have kids and I might not be a good reference on this topic”. Her reply “you are American and you were a baby, right?”. I could not argue both of those facts. I then told her that I believed you needed to be a taxpayer to get in on that free education (tried to explain in my horrible Chinese). To which she replies, “my son has a US birth certificate so that should be fine”. Again I could not argue, because I'm not a lawyer and I have no idea. Rita is very happy, smart and loves LA (I should've been more suspicious of this before). I tell her that I think she would need to research her options as far as the future for her son. I don't feel comfortable giving her my input. She cheerfully tells me “but I'm asking. I can listen to it or not listen”. Once again, valid point. I try to practice everyday English conversations and it somehow its turned into us shopping on amazon.com and her drilling me on the newest baby toy or cartoon or whatever American/baby thing she thinks she needs.
Its crazy to me that there are probably hundreds of babies in this situation. Parents patiently waiting for their kids to turn 21 in order to apply for and get a US passport. The things people with money will do.
How am I still being surprised by this place? Cause its China. It's like no other.
~Anne
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