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"Hong Kong.China.Hawaii Chamber of Commerce" Support US Department of Commerce "Study USA Consortium" mission to bring an aggressive, worldwide set of services and resources designed to give U.S. educational institutions a competitive
advantage in recruiting international students. This is achieved via the promotion capabilities of the U.S. Commercial Service and additional key strategic partners.
"中國夏威夷商會" 支持美國商務部 “美國學校聯盟“ 的使命，使一個積極的，世界範圍的服務和資源的設置旨在使美國的教育機構競爭優勢在招聘國際學生。這是通過推廣能力達到了美國商業服務和額外的重要戰略夥伴。
 Hawaii's
China Connection Video > 
Would you like your 14 - 18
years old children to go to school in Hawaii?
你喜歡你的
14-18 歲孩子去夏威夷上學嗎？
Live in the home of an American family?
住在一個美國人家庭家裡?
Learn English and Attend Some of the Top Universities in Hawaii or Mainland Unites States?
學習英語，在夏威夷或美國大陸上大學？
For more information, please send us an email to
jwkc8168@yahoo.com
欲了解更多信息，請給我們發送電子郵件至 jwkc8168@yahoo.com
 
可以淺潛賞魚的的恐龍灣
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無人居住的鯨魚島
最近天氣異常的好，讓人忍不住想要放鬆一下去擁抱陽光。如農曆新年期間正好有兩三天假期，不妨忙裡偷閒逃去夏威夷度周末。碧藍清澈的海水、蜿蜒的海岸、柔軟的白沙灘、隨風搖擺的棕櫚樹、崎嶇翠綠的山路、夕陽下草裙舞女郎曼妙的身姿、以及五彩遮陽傘下醇香的美酒，必能令人全身心放鬆。
 
歐胡島
Waikiki
海邊飯店後院即是連片沙灘
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商場內經常為遊客表演夏威夷草裙舞
夏威夷地處北太平洋，由130 多個島嶼組成。夏威夷全年氣溫變化不大，沒有季節之分，2、3月間氣溫最低，8、9月間最熱。雖然10月到次年4月時夏威夷雨量最多的時節，但如果沒有這些來來就走的陣雨，留下絢麗的彩虹，夏威夷也就不會有彩虹州的美名。如果是第一次去夏威夷又時間有限的話，歐湖島（Oahu）便是體驗夏威夷的最佳選擇。
 
夏威夷皇宮
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衝浪是冬天遊夏威夷必不可少的活動
歐湖島是夏威夷八大島嶼中的第三大島，島上人口占整個夏威夷州的75%。歐湖島全年氣候宜人，平均溫度在68至85度。歐湖島海岸線總長112哩，這裡除了舉世聞名的旅遊聖地威基基灘（Waikiki）外，夏威夷州府檀香山市（Honolulu）、伊奧拉尼皇宮（Iolani Palace）、珍珠港（Pearl
Harbor）、恐龍灣
(Hanauma
Bay)、鑽石頭（Diamond
Head ）、日落海灘（Sunset
Beach）、大風口（Pali
Lookout）、波利尼西亞文化中心（Polynesian
Cultural Center）都在歐湖島上。
 
亞利桑那號戰船
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仿造日本京都世界遺產平等院
歐湖在夏威夷語中意為「聚集之地」，檀香山作為美國第11大城市，有著豐富的歷史、人文勝景，以及豐富多彩的活動。在歐湖不論走到哪裡，都能領略熱帶美景與品味當地獨特文化，這是夏威夷其他島嶼所無法相比的。白天可在熱鬧的威基基灘曬日光浴、衝浪，去專賣店林立的威基基商圈血拼，或徒步去人跡罕至、圍繞著瀑布與熱帶草木的小沙灘。也可以去恐龍灣潛水，與海豚嬉戲，或是來一次深海觀魚潛游。傍晚可以乘坐遊輪欣賞海上落日與草裙舞表演。到了涼爽的夜晚，除了享用各種美食，還可以去南部海岸參加雞尾酒巡遊。
 
夏威夷沿海海岸線變化多端
/
位於半山的鳳梨園也成為觀光勝地
必遊景點
1.著名海灘
歐湖島有沙灘的海岸線總長便超過50哩，海灘共139處，每處都有獨到迷人之處。冬季遊歐湖島，衝浪與觀鯨便是不可錯過的活動。每年冬天，萬歲波浪區（Banzai
Pipeline）、日落海灘、威美亞灣（Waimea）等歐湖北岸一系列海灘吸引著世界各地衝浪愛好者前來挑戰20至40呎的巨浪。
2.珍珠港紀念館
珍珠港是歐湖最受歡迎、也是行程中的必經之地。珍珠港事件紀念館直接建造在被日軍擊沉的「亞利桑那號」上，白色的紀念館既像艘戰船又像隻枕頭，代表讓陣亡士兵安息。因此，參觀亞利桑那號紀念館也是一種莊嚴的體驗，有1177名士兵長眠於此。每年紀念館都有大型紀念活動，無數來自世界各地的遊客都會聚集在此悼念這些素昧平生的士兵。在紀念館上可以看到海面上露出一截圓形的空桶，那是「亞利桑那號」第三砲台的砲座。天氣晴朗時，可以看到沉船的全貌。
3.波利尼西亞文化中心
波利尼西亞文化中心由摩門教楊百翰大學建於1963年，一座保存波利尼西亞人歷史與文化傳統的大型民族文化博物館。中心內有來自夏威夷、薩摩亞、塔希提、湯加、斐濟、新西蘭、馬克薩斯七個太平洋島嶼上的波利尼西亞人，分別組成七個村落。各村建築設施均保持本民族幾百年前的傳統風貌。透過村民的日常生活，反映他們原居住的七個島嶼的文化傳統與風土人情，每晚還有具有濃厚民族氣息大型的歌舞晚會。
貼心提醒
到歐湖可以進行自駕遊或跟團遊，自駕遊雖然自由，不過檀香山的汽油價格時常位居全美首位，成本略高。第一次去，可參加當地大環島遊或小環島遊，價格只有幾十元。也可以選擇坐公車，公車買票不找零，可以事先在ABC連鎖店購買公交通票。
若不想度假被猩紅起泡的皮膚毀掉，別忘了準備防曬指數SPF30以上的高倍防曬品，並使用遮陽帽與佩戴有紫外線濾層的太陽鏡。此外，夏威夷時常有陣雨與突發季風到訪，尤其是山間天氣變化無常，不想著涼就隨身備一件長袖薄外套。
在夏威夷購物，如果不熱衷名牌，逛一下ABC連鎖店，便可以買到夏威夷群島各種紀念品，而且十分便宜。但是在檀香山，千萬不要和朋友約在ABC碰頭。ABC在夏威夷全州共50多家分店，但在檀香山便有41家，幾乎相隔不遠便有一間ABC。
June 26 2011
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Chinese parents turn to US summer camps By Emily Cheng
Summer camps in the US are the latest strategy for Chinese parents plotting a better future for their children. This year, more than 60,000 children will fly off for an immersion program that may, or may not, test their suitability for college abroad. Emily Cheng explores the issues.
For around $5,000 or roughly 32,500 yuan, kids are flying across the Pacific for an opportunity to play sports with US students, attend summer classes, and most importantly, speak English. They will be joining American summer camps, a mid-year ritual for many children in the United States, but still something for the privileged few in China. After two consecutive years at China-based summer camps, Lou Yong's 13-year-old son, Tim, will take the experience to the next level by spending four weeks in Baltimore, USA. "I hope to enrich his summer vacation and let him experience different activities which he is interested in, but are not available at the local schools," says Yong.
"American summer camps are a good complement to Chinese-style education. Chinese-style education focuses on academic achievement, while American-style camps allow the students to improve their overall abilities. If the child wants to study abroad in future, an American camp can help them make some adjustments beforehand," she says.
Alex Abraham, the general manager of Blue Sky Study, a Shanghai-based overseas education consultancy, also sees the camps as a way of easing a child into a culture that he or she will most likely be a part of when they join the other Chinese undergraduates in the US.
The number of students going abroad does not appear to be dropping soon so, for those who can afford it, summer camps give them a head-start.
"For parents who would one day like their child to study in the US full-time, it is a great way to introduce a foreign country to a young student," Abraham says.
As more parents plot overseas ambitions for their children, a camp itinerary that includes excursions to famous universities is popular among fee-paying parents.
Joel Lavenson, director of the Maine Golf and Tennis Academy in the US, noticed the enthusiasm among Chinese families for their children to get into American schools and introduced college visits into his Chinese-American summer camps.
"The Chinese parents look at the camps as part of their educational portfolio as a world citizen," says Lavenson.
At another US-based organization, the American Chinese Academy (ACA), the intake of Chinese students has tripled this year.
Joyce Zhao, CEO of ACA, suspects that the increased interest correlates to the parental need for their children to maximize their potential.
"It is a tradition for Chinese parents to 'sacrifice' or pay high costs for their children's education, expecting their children to be successful one day," she notes.
Zhao categorizes parents who send their kids overseas as a "wise" group which understands the importance of travel experiences for the youngster's personal growth. Nonetheless, she still thinks that there's an undeniable academic-focus in their intentions.
"The parents who send their children to overseas summer camps are still traditional in that they don't want the activities to stray too far away from academic learning. Therefore, classroom hours are scheduled," says Zhao.
It is this balance between cultural, social, and educational activities at American summer camps that appeals to Chinese parents.
Gao Ruolin, organizer of China Daily's Little Journalist Summer Camp, credits obtaining a good visa record as another major appeal of summer camps abroad.
China Daily's camp offers the usual visits to famous universities and sites but it also appeals to parents who want more specialized activities. As well as visiting the BBC and China Daily's New York and London offices, the aspiring journalists are taught the basics of journalism in an intensive English environment. After taking tests to get into the exclusive camp, students travel to countries including the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland and the States under the guidance of senior journalists from the paper.
It is a program that will appeal to parents like Emily Chan, who intends to eventually send her 6-year-old son, Nathan, to a camp in America "to learn native English and get used to life in the US."
However, putting a kid on a plane to America every year is not a luxury that many can afford. Which is why domestic, American-style summer camps are becoming increasingly attractive for parents like Chan, who sends her son to camps every summer.
Chan believes the camps groom children for their future studying abroad.
While images of a Tiger Mom may arise, the situation is nothing but. Nathan is always excited about the holiday season because he has a say in the camp he wants, "I choose only what he wants to do," Chan says of her son.
This year, Nathan will be attending a sports-oriented summer camp in Beijing.
"From the camp, he will learn values and independence without parents and ayi," she explains.
As more and more parents realize the social and educational benefits of recreational activities, an increasing number of organizations have crowded the market for more cost efficient, China-based summer camps.
Fanghua Jiang jumped on this wagon and started Longfeifei Youth Summer Camp in the summer of 2009.
"I decided that we would adopt an American curriculum supplemented by some Chinese activities, and the camp would be structured and managed in an American style. For example: employing counselors, including enrichment over academic activities and having camp staff recruited from various sources," Jiang elaborates.
As an avid member of the Fudan University Alumni Association, Jiang initially proposed the Shanghai-based camp as a way of connecting domestic and overseas children among alumni. Now it has become much more.
"The children who enroll are typically those who have different interests, who come from a family where parents pay attention to their children's character building," she says.
Carol Peng, director of the International Bilingual Summer Camp in Beijing, also employs an east-meets-west style for her camps.
"American-style summer camps have their appeals and style. The activities are rich as well as educational: various sports, arts, languages, field trips, medical skills and so on. The children can experience the joy of learning English through such creative activities," Peng says.
Improving English in an interactive environment was one of the selling points for Nancy Chen when she first found out about summer camps.
Chen has enrolled her 9-year-old daughter, Mao Ruihan, in the Beijing Playhouse Academy of Performing Arts' (BPAPA) theater camps four times now.
"She has improved her English and acting skills. She is happier, more confident and more courageous. She has also learned more about western culture and interpersonal communication skills. Overall, she has changed a lot, positively," Nancy says.
BPAPA offers bilingual theater camps for Chinese students who are less fluent in English.
The goal is to improve their spoken English. They study in English, follow the directors in English, and at the end of the camp, they are on stage performing in English.
Unlike many summer camps that offer multiple activities, BPAPA's camps focus purely on theater production and performance.
Chris Verrill, executive director of BPAPA, remembers the time when expatriate kids dominated the first camp. Seventy-four percent came from native English-speaking countries, 26 percent from other parts of the world, and none came from China.
Over the years, more Chinese children have been enrolling to learn about theater and improve their English. The most recent camp was composed of 76 percent Chinese, 18 percent English-speaking country kids, and 6 percent from other countries.
"We work hard to maintain the quality of the theater experience for all the children. So if a student is not fluent in English, then we refer them to the Broadway English theatre camp. Even for Broadway English, the student must at least have an intermediate level of English. When it comes to teaching English, our goal is not the basics. We leave the basics to other language schools," Verrill says.
But, at the end of the day, it's not always about learning and classes - it's about knowing that your child is having a good time.
The fun environment provided by summer camps is all Nancy wants for her daughter, "Sending my kid to the camp has little to do with her studying abroad in the future," she says. But it helps.
Clockwise from top: At the Beijing Playhouse camp, children stage The Wizard of Oz in English, honing both language and acting skills. Hanging free from a tree during summer camp at Stateside Adventures. Urban Discovery camps provide a fun way to learn about Hong Kong history, culture and heritage. Riding the surf is one of the attractions of the Hong Kong Treasure Island camps on South Lantau's Pui O beach which offers day and overnight camps.
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