Chinese students tour departments of Dallas County government

0
1236
Most of the 25 members of the Chinese Association of Iowa delegation visited the chambers of the Dallas County Supervisors at their Tuesday morning meeting.

About 25 members of the Chinese Association of Iowa visited Adel Tuesday morning as part of their two-week sojourn in the U.S. They started their tour of the departments of county government by dropping in on the Dallas County Board of Supervisors, who were meeting in chambers.

Hilda Wolle, one of the leaders of the group, who range in age from 13 to 22, said the young people are enjoying their Iowa trip.

“This helps them to see what the real America is like,” Wolle said. “New York and Washington are also America, but this is America, too.”

The supervisors explained some of the basics of local government funding to the young people, and the visitors in turn asked questions about U.S. customs and practices.

An architect's rendering of the Dallas County Courthouse, dedicated in 1902.
Supervisor Mark Hanson showed the visitors from China an architect’s rendering of the Dallas County Courthouse, dedicated in 1902.

Supervisor Mark Hanson displayed a design sketch of the Dallas County Courthouse along with a picture of the castle in France that served as the model for the 112-year-old edifice.

Dallas County Attorney Wayne Reisetter met the visitors in the courtroom of Fifth Judicial District Judge Virginia Cobb in order to tell them about the U.S. justice system and the system of local courts.

“This gives the Chinese students an opportunity for a clearer understanding,” Reisetter said, “and as expected there was some misunderstanding as well, which would also be the case with American high school students.”

Reisetter said the Chinese Association of Iowa delegation got a rare glimpse of real-world litigation in Judge Cobb’s court, where a case of a child in need of assistance was being heard. The visitors did not get to attend the hearing, he said, but the attorneys and parties were present and gave the Chinese guests of judicial “realism.”

The young visitors also toured the offices of the county assessor, treasurer and recorder before lunch, and then turned to the departments of public health, environmental health and planning and development.

Dallas County Planning and Development Senior Planner Samuel Larson guided the visitors on the morning leg of their tour. The young people are skilled in English but also had translation assistance from Fanfan Guo of the Chinese Association of Iowa.

Dave Keely of West Des Moines said he has been involved with the Chinese Association tours for three years and is also involved as a host with the Chinese Student Association.

“These are the children of fairly well off Chinese parents,” Keely said. “With China’s one-child policy, they are also used to life at a boarding school and are really quite mature and self-sufficient.”

The visiting members of the Chinese Association of Iowa visitors seemed duly impressed by the imposing presence of the county courthouse, and a Fanfan Guo translation might have done justice to the century-old words of courthouse laureate Reagan Brown:

Perhaps it’s wrong for poets to give her a feminine touch,
But in a way she mothers things that touch our lives so much.
God, bless the county courthouse and, please, always keep it near.
Lord, keep it always open, and keep its purpose clear.

 

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.