On August 7th, 2008, my 16 years old son went to Finland alone for one year exchange student program. Why Finland? because Finland is trusted, unique and innovative. It is good for a young boy to experience a different culture to inpire his future.
He stay in a volenteer family in Mantsalan, a small town 60 km north from Helsinky.
http://www.mantsala.fi/lukio/
Boys be ambitious!
Be ambitious not for money or for selfish aggrandizement
not for that evanescent thing which men call fame.
Be ambitious for the attainment of all that a man ought to be.
"少年 要胸懷大志不是為了金錢 也不是為了私慾
也不是為了名譽這類空虛的志向
而是為了人為何生存 為了走完人生這條路而胸懷大志"
--William Clark---
1875年札幌農學校(即現在的北海道大學)成立，隔年借調聘任美國麻州農科大學校長克拉克博士前往任教，在借調的八個月期間，克拉克博士強調自律教育觀，認為教育工作者應相信學生良心，培養孩子的獨立人格，不應用強制手段要求他們做「正當」的行動。克拉克強調，不能自動自發地發展自己的良心，對自己的行為負責，就稱不上是「現代人」。認為國家建設的根基在於人，而日本除了物質近代化之外，國民精神的成長與培養，其實更為重要。這樣「精神重於物質」的信念，深深影響了日本。
1877.04. 克拉克博士離別之際，對全校師生發表公開演說，離情依依的他特別要求學生：「Boys, Be Ambitious！」(年輕人，你們要胸懷大志！)，這句話也成為日本教育界的經典勵志名言，至今傳頌不歇。
I went to Chung Hwua to see my college classmate Lawrence Kuo in his new office. It was supprised that he printed the photos in our college days and posted in the meeting room. It is happy but also a little sad that 25 years passed and it just like yesterday!
After 17 years in global trading business of bike parts, Lawrence established a brand- Birzman for biking tools. It is so touched to see a nice and modern designed office in a very remote village in central Taiwan. It is like what we experienced in Europe to visit some famous brand in a small town. Everyone said Taiwan should do so, and I saw my classmate is working on this.
