The sound of crunching gravel that surrounds his house becomes distant. It is now replaced with the waves of noise and confusion that spill from the mouths of those who can make sense of it all, those who are fortunate enough to have the familiarity that is required to live in a foreign country. Junior Remi White woke up halfway through summer to find himself a speck in the middle of Xian, China, the larges populated country in the world.

Timing was different, people looked unfamiliar, and attention seemed focused on him. Walking through the busy streets ornamented with mini Buddhas and magic dragon tea sets, his scuffed up shoes pushed past street signs that he tried to decipher.

Knowing only enough Chinese to say hello, goodbye, and no thank you made it hard, but easy enough to keep off those bombarding him with pleas to buy this and that. Occasionally, an aimless chicken would cross in front of him. Perhaps an aged artisan working with a long pointed beard hanging below his knees could be seen in the corner. White, a curly-haired individual with his own take on western style stood out and attracted people all over the place.

What drew him to this culture, a culture that singled him out and made him look out-of-place, was not the sightseeing (although he did visit many historical areas), or the idea of traveling in general. White wanted to pursue a feeling that not many teenagers his age ever get to experience: he wanted to feel independent and at the same time like he was a part of something greater. China let him do this.

When White made the decision to sign up with Cross Cultural Solutions, a business that offers numerous volunteer programs in a number of exotic places, he had this kind of self-fulfillment in mind.

“The volunteer program I was with really focused on working with kids, touring the cities, making me feel like I actually received something meaningful from this experience,” he said

White took part in a set of summer classes for kids in Xian that involved teaching the children English and other elements of Western culture. Surrounded by 8 to 10 year olds, Remi made lesson plans for the summer program at Jiatong University. He collaboratively taught English with two translators, one studying to become a dentist and another majoring in business.

“It was a class of around 25 children,” Remi recalls. “Each day we’d make a lesson plan. One day was devoted to teaching animals, and another for colors and numbers.” The level of understanding among students varied.

English wasn’t the only thing White taught the children in China. “When we had time, I would try to teach some American games that I used to play,” he said. “The kids that picked up the rules were really fun to play with. Sometimes we’d spend an hour after class just playing some of the games I taught them.”

Nancy Pitts, an anesthesiologist who has taken many trips to China, found it amazing what White did.

“It is hard to imagine someone at such a young age being able to fulfill a goal like that. It is one thing to go anywhere while you are a teenager, let alone go and help kids who want to learn more about western culture,” she said. Pitts said how on her trip, back in 1993 when she also went with a volunteer program to help teach writing more specifically, that the kids she worked with were hard to talk with. “It seems as though the children have changed since the time I went because I remember never being able to even get a word out of them, unless they were answering a question.”

According to White, he found this to be true at the beginning of his three week trip. “When I first met the kids, they were really shy and timid. But after a week or so, they really began to open up. By the time I had to leave, they felt like my best friends,” White said.

Even though Remi had a lot to live up to in China, he felt like he needed it.

“It was a great experience to be able to help people while at the same time helping yourself. I can’t believe I actually did it, it is hard to imagine me over there, in China, in what seems the complete anti-thesis of American culture.,” he said. “Nonetheless it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.”

White was able to visit some of the most historic places in the country. From a Buddhist Temple in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda to the Great Wall, he saw everything he wanted to. The exchange rate also treated him kindly.

“I had so much money in China,” he said. “The currency is great for Americans and I ended up buying things nonstop.”

White loved the volunteering aspect of the trip, but he also enjoyed the euphoric sense of belonging in a place he know nothing about.

“I remember vividly one night when I was by myself walking around, I was walking down this busy street and I passed this bar that was blaring [the band] Radiohead. I looked in and these middle-aged Chinese men were all singing their hearts out; it made me feel a little more at home.”

Not many 17 year olds can say they’ve traveled abroad, but Remi holds this experience close to his heart.

“I think the most important thing for me is how much people over there really made an effort to learn more about my culture. I just hope they got that same impression of me. That’s all I want.”