ROSELLE - China and Roselle are separated by more than 6,000 miles.

For one local group, though, the great distance between the two has been lessened through cultural understanding.

In recent weeks, China has been on the minds of members of the Roselle 4-H “Go-Gettems” club, who have taken on learning about the world’s most populous country for their project for 4-H’s International Night next month at the DuPage County Fairgrounds.

During a recent meeting in Roselle Methodist Church, members gathered to hear the stories of two guest speakers familiar with China.

Their first visitor, Erika Voogd of West Chicago is well versed in the 4-H program, as she was a club member and scholarship recipient. She first visited China in 1996 as a tourist and became associated with OSI Industries as a quality assurance consultant visiting its packing plants.

Voogd said she was very impressed with the friendliness of the Chinese, and said some of the plants she visited are like little cities, with workers, eating, sleeping and living there.

Erica was employed with OSI from 1994 until 2003, and is now a private global consultant in the food industry. Her travels have taken her to China, Canada, Brazil, the Philippines, Poland, Costa Rica and elsewhere throughout the world.

With Voogd’s help, Go-Gettems members Shannon Bear, Shirley Burger, Kaila Hynes, Donna Klabacha, Lea Schilke and Rachael Wieczorek are now pen pals with Yezi, a 12-year-old girl from Beijing.
The club’s second speaker, Roselle native Daniel Houle, visited China in 1998, and, like Voogd, found the Chinese to be a friendly people.

Houle learned how to speak Chinese through the College of DuPage and private tutoring. He admits it is a difficult language; as the same word, when used in different tones, has different meanings. There are two major languages in China: Cantonese and Mandarin. Someone speaking Cantonese cannot understand someone speaking Mandarin, and vice versa.

While in Beijing, Houle said the biggest traffic jam he encountered involved was with bicycles.

Everyone there has a bicycle, and families often ride on the same bike with the mother sitting on the rear seat crosswise holding a baby.

Houle gave members some tasty Chinese candy, and displayed some memorabilia from his trip.

The annual 4-H International Night is from 6:30 to 8:45 p.m. Friday, March 2, in buildings 2 and 3 of the DuPage County Fairgrounds, 2015 W. Manchester Road, Wheaton.

For more information about 4-H, call (630) 653-4114.

‘Tea’ with the ‘Queen’    
Roselle’s very own Rose Queen Denise Hibbard will meet children in kindergarten through sixth grade during a “tea” from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 10, in the Roselle Public Library, 40 S. Park St.

Denise, a Lake Park High School student, will speak with the children and answer questions, including any about being Rose Queen.

Who knows, maybe a future Rose Queen will be in the audience.

A craft session and “tea” (actually lemonade, usually) will also be on hand.

Spaces are limited and registration is underway; you need a Roselle Library Card for registration.

To register, visit the library, go online at www.roselle.lib.il.us, or call (630) 529-1641, Ext. 351.

Until next time.

The Roselle-Itasca Beat is a weekly column appearing on Thursdays. Ideas and items for the column can be faxed to Ed Obrochta at(630) 894-4251 or e-mailed to eobrochta@sbcglobal.net.