When my 11-year old family friend Quan recently visited London for his 15-day summer school camp, I offered to take him out for a meal and show him a little more of the city's attractions.

Having seen Quan grow up as a shy kid over the years, I could only imagine how scared he would be, away from home for the first time, in a foreign country too. I had imagined that he would be crying with homesickness, but I was wrong.

When we met at Tower Bridge, I was pleasantly surprised by the mature and confident young man standing in front of me. He greeted me with a big smile, reassured his friends that he would be back with the group at the appointed hour before leading me away from the tourist crowd.