“My son has been studying Mandarin Chinese for the past four years at HudsonWay Immersion School. He started at the age of two. After much lobbying, he finally convinced me that he was ready to spend some time in China.

I organized our itinerary; we did not join any tours. We visited Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai and Tokyo for a total of 11 days.

By far the best thing about our trip was that Israel could converse with everyone. He talked about menu options with waitresses who looked astonished at his ability to speak Chinese. He even asked if any apple pies were available at the McDonalds in Beijing. I just stood there astonished at the possibilities and opportunities that a second language has opened up for him. Israel can speak with 1.4 billion of the world’s population that speak Chinese! I know that this trip enabled my son, at such a young age, to start thinking like a global citizen.”