Global Girl: China

Did you know that more people live in China than in any other country in the world? It's the place where kites and fireworks were invented, and home to adorable panda bears. How cool is that? My new friend Angela lived in China for one whole year. She's twelve now, but when she arrived with her parents and brother, it was the day before her tenth birthday!

Charlotte Ramsey: Hi Angela! Was it easy to make friends at your new school in China?

Angela: Very, very, very easy! I didn't even know who I was walking with to my class, and they were just like, "Hi!" They think that people from other countries are really cool!

Charlotte: Sometimes it's fun being the new girl! But was it ever embarrassing?

Angela: Well, in the United States, I could write well; but in China I couldn't that much. I missed being able to communicate with people really easily! Actually, I discovered the Beacon Street Girls while I was in China because one of my librarians from my old school mailed me a package with some BSG books.

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Charlotte: Cool! Which book is your favorite?

Angela: Lake Rescue is my favorite. Or Green Algae and Bubble Gum Wars.

Charlotte: Are you similar to any of the BSG?

Angela: I'm most like you, Charlotte! I like reading and writing stories. I want to be a writer. Definitely.

Charlotte: If a girl your age were visiting China for a week, what are some places she should definitely go see?

Angela: First, she should go to Beijing and see the Great Wall of China. Then, she should go to the Summer Palace or the Forbidden City because they show what China was like a long time ago. Here's a picture of me at the Summer Palace.

CR: What is the best holiday in China?

Angela: Chinese New Year! On Chinese New Year eve you stay up really late and you watch this festival on television, almost how kids on the United States watch the ball drop. Except in the Chinese show, there are songs, dances, mini sitcoms and funny plays. We also set off firecrackers and ate a LOT of food.

Charlotte: What is the yummiest New Year food?

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Angela: This fruit called a hawthorn (see my photo!) It's covered in sugar and sooo yummy.

Charlotte: What did you watch on TV when it wasn't a holiday?

Angela: Cartoons, kind of like cartoon network, and also sitcoms. There was one sitcom called 家有儿女 (Jia You Er Nu) which means "Family with Kids." It's about a Chinese family that has three kids. That's unusual in China.

Charlotte: Did lots of people have pets?

Angela: While we were in China we actually had three turtles. We got them at the grocery store where they have this little pet section with fish and turtles. Lots of people have pets like that.

Charlotte: You got them at the grocery store? What did you name them?

Angela: One we named Squiggles. That was my brother's. One was Aquamarine, and I forget what we named the other one.

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Charlotte: I know another popular Chinese animal -- the panda! Did you get to see any?

Angela: I actually got to hold one and it was so fuzzy and cute! I think Sichuan province is my favorite place in China because that's where the panda sanctuaries are! You can learn all about pandas and take pictures of them.

Charlotte: Awww! You're so lucky. Tell me a little bit about your best friend in China.

Angela: She was outgoing and liked songs from America. The teacher in English class gives everybody an English name, and hers was Linda. She sang in choir, and in our class, if you were in the choir group, that meant you were cool! So, she wanted to be friends with me. It's kind of funny because I brought this huge bag of Jolly Ranchers to China, and one day I gave her one... then for like the rest of the year she was always asking, "Can I have one of those yummy candies you gave me?"

Charlotte: Haha! What did you and your friends do together for fun?

Angela: Sometimes we would go see movies. They had movies from America in Chinese, and that was kind of cool. And we would also go to see classical concerts sometimes at the Beijing university. I mean, I don't usually do that here, but we just did that there for some reason. Sometimes we would just hang around the school yard and play tag.

Charlotte: What was a school day like for you in China?

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Angela: My house was pretty close to my school, and I would walk with my brother and either my mom or dad. I sent a picture of my classroom. The subjects we had were math, Chinese, English, science, health and safety, art, gym, and once a week we had martial arts which was my favorite class. It was kind of like karate except not really for hitting anyone, just to look pretty, almost like dance.

Charlotte: Sounds fun! What music was really popular with kids?

Angela: Mostly hip hop. I always remember seeing these artists on chips and soda commercials. There was one group called S.H.E. and they did a song called "Zhong Guo Hua", which means "Chinese language." It tells about how more and more people around the world are learning Chinese!

Charlotte: I want to learn some Chinese! What can you teach me?

Angela: Since you're my friend, I'll teach you: 好朋友 (Hao Peng You). That means "good friend!"

Girls like you asked Angela such interesting questions that she decided to answer! Here's part two of her interview... with all of you!

Edward234: I'm going to china next year. I can practice my chinese!!! So can u tell me about the great wall?

Angela: Wow! That sounds so cool! The Great Wall is really cool. It's really long and made of stone and you walk up lot's of steps! Hope you have fun in China!

Sidra:Wow i wish i got to hold a panda i think you can see that i love them and i'm crazy about them. Can you please send me a mail saying how it was like holding a panda? Can you tell me if it was a baby one or a giant one? P.S i wish i could go to china so i could finally see a panda. It's been one of my dreams to see a panda

Angela: It was really fun holding a panda. His name was Yuan Yuan and he was 10 months old. His fur was kind of stiff and thick; not soft like you'd imagine. Keep following your dreams! I'm sure you'll get to hold one some day!

Cathy123: Actually, I was born in Beijing, China! I love S.H.E.! My favourite song from S.H.E is Wo Bu Xiang Zhang Da (Which means "I don't want to grow up")! I also love the TV show Angela mentioned in the interview! I love to eat hawthorns and dumplings! I've been to The Great Wall, Summer Palace, and Forbidden City!

Holyrose: I'm chinese american so ni hao Angela!!! ni hao means how are you. Wow, that's so cool to hold a panda bear. :) I visited China and I ate hawthorns too!!! I would like to be your friend.

Angela: Awesome Chinese! Cathy123 and Holyrose, you're both just like me! My mom is from China and my dad is from America! Hawthorns are so yummy!

Gumgirl95: Three kids is unusual in that show Jia You Er Nu? There's a woman who had octuplets here in the USA.

Angela: Well, in China there's usually only one kid per family.

clemsongirl02: is that a real panda?

Angela: Yeah, it's a real panda. I held him at a panda sanctuary in Sichuan province. He was so cute!

PinkConverse: Omg your SO lucky to live in China. Im going there THIS summer!!! It will be hard seeing how I cant speak Chinese. Its even hard for me to speak ENGLISH!!! See Im from Trinidad and Tobago, I dont live there anymore but its my BACKground. I speak Patois more than english in my house. Oh and Patois is prounonced ( Pat-twa )

Angela: Wow! That's cool! You'll have a great time! Don't worry about not speaking Chinese. A lot of Chinese people actually speak English and some speak other languages too. I'm sure you'll be fine! Have fun!