Your Children, Your Values

Don't know if I've mentioned it, but I'm taking a college class this spring.  There is quite a variety of people, and I find that fascinating.  Several sessions now I've sat by a nice young man (ok, I'm old enough to be his mother so don't ask for any other description) and finally I worked up the courage to ask him where his home country is.

He is from Saudi Arabia, and has been a student in the U.S. for a few years.

Another young man in the class (with a really nice wink ) is from Tanzania, and has been working and going to school in the U.S. for several years now.  He has a family here, unlike my Saudi classmate who hasn't seen his family in a few years.

There are also some young women who, from their dress, are possibly Muslim, but I'm not sure from where exactly. Some time I hope to find out.

Anyway, aside from the interesting things we discuss in literature class that we discover are universal to all cultures - a mother-in-law who is just a torment, anyone? teen-aged rebellion? rite of passage rituals? - I wonder about one thing, mainly.

When your child goes to a foreign country to live and to study, what are a parent's expectations for that child maintaining and living the values and mores (think "more-ays" - I still haven't figured out accent marks yet) of your homeland?

When you are raising your family in a foreign country, how do you instill in your children the values and mores of your home country - when all around you, and especially in the United States (I believe) there are so many other influences that might be considered less than . . . appropriate . . . for lack of a better word . . .?  What influences do parents try to shield their children from, when they don't have extended family for added support?

Have any readers out there lived in other countries besides their "home" country, and had to think about this? What are your thoughts?