ASIA HORTON | STAFF WRITER

Across the Pacific Ocean, to the Far East of Riverside, a young boy in China dreamed of a new life in the America.

Kingsly Bao is not your average 17 year old. Kingsley Bao, born Zizhao Bao decided to travel the world.

Born in Guang Dong province China, Bao left his homeland to pursue a higher education in California. For 2 months now Zizhao has been an international student at Riverside City College.

Bao is aspiring to earn a 4-year degree with a major in Economics and Business with a minor in Accounting.

At 17, Bao is all too familiar with social concerns regarding over population and the lack of resources.

“We don’t have more than one child per family,” said Bao.

America doesn’t question let alone restricted the right to reproduce at will. A westerner would have a hard time wrapping their mind around the concept of one child per family.

Bao was truly from a totally different world, a world where control and censorship are typical. Coming to America, Bao faced some immediate changes in the language and food.

Bao is not a fan of the taste of American food, and is confused why certain dishes are eaten at certain times of the day. For instance, the Chinese look at a sandwich and imagine breakfast where here in America we think of lunch.

Although Bao isn’t a fan of American cuisine, he does admire many aspects of the culture such as the access to social media. Bao’s enthusiasm of Facebook was a total surprise. In Bao’s country, Facebook is restricted. Facebook is such a trivial thing in America, yet it’s forbidden in China. Bao created a Facebook account shortly after arriving in the States and is an avid user of the site.

The mentality in the United States prevents us from being able to even imagine a world where so many restrictions are imposed upon its citizens.

Freedom of the press and the right to free speech are as American as apple pie. Our senses of entitlement to civil liberties are pervasive and help construct the very fabric of our culture.