Sunday BBQ with the Chinese students

Yesterday night the students took us to a traditional Chinese Barbeque. The food was great, but the conversations that we had were even better! Throughout dinner, we talked a lot about what people's goals were after graduating college. I found out that the students and I had many similar aspirations including the desire to pursue further education. One of the students mentioned that she would like to continue her education in the United States. When I asked the other students if they would like to do the same, they shook their heads and said no. The explanation they gave really surprised me. They said they wouldn't study in America because it is dangerous and scary. When I asked the students why they thought the U.S. was unsafe they replied with things like "you can buy a gun there" and "there are school shootings". I was shocked to hear that crime and violence were the main things the Chinese students associated with America because I have always felt safe living there. Their comments made me wonder if other countries view the United States as a scary place to live and how it impacts their decisions to come to our country.