Reddick woman, 21, going to college in China

There'll be no homecoming football game. And no coming home for laundry.

College life is definitely going to change this semester for Reddick's Brittany Ashburn. The 21-year-old international business major is leaving Aug. 27 to study at Shanghai University in China.

"Yes, I'm excited and anxious," said Ashburn, a senior at North Central College in Naperville. "And, no, I can't speak Chinese, yet. I'll be taking classes in Mandarin four hours a day when I get there."

Obviously, Brittany, the daughter of James and Dawn Ashburn, has been thinking about this 7,000-mile adventure for quite awhile.

"We have to study abroad in this major and there's a class that prepares international students. I also have two mentors I've been talking to for awhile," she explained. "There is a lot to learn before you go."

Some of the "Don'ts" on her list:

• Don't talk about the American government or politics at all.

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Reddick woman relishes chance to study in China

The number of neighbors in Brittany Ashburn's world is about to rise by the millions.

Brittany, a Reddick resident, Herscher High School graduate and student at North Central College in Naperville, is about to embark on a journey to China to study at Shanghai University as part of her pursuit of a degree in international business.

Brittany will be moving into a dorm with an English-speaking Chinese student, who requested to live with an international student. Campus enrollment tops 41,000, with 3,000 from outside the country. The university is a modern consolidation of several colleges. It's set in China's largest city: population 23 million.

"Yes, that's a long way from Reddick [population: 163], but we have at least three field trips, so we will get out in rural areas. I want to see the farms there," she said.

Brittany will take five classes — all with instructors who speak English.

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Ice cream social at Reddick Mansion, Ottawa

An ice cream social will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 18 in the gardens of the Reddick Mansion, 100 W. Lafayette St., Ottawa.

Suggested donation is $5 for individuals, $10 for families. The public also is invited to enjoy lemonade and other refreshments while listening to "Sherri Farley and Friends" perform.

This year, the Reddick Mansion Association also will recognize and thank several long-term members of the association: Joan Bardgett, Esther Funk, Jean Pool, Helen Thomas and Edmund Thornton.

All donations will be used for maintaining and renovating the mansion. The mansion is open to the public for tours and has meeting and reception rooms available for rent for special events.

For more information, call 815-252-4639.

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