Picture taken on May 6, 2010 shows Joshua (R) learning about his role at the Abilia experience center of the Shanghai World Expo.

11-year-old Dutch boy Joshua came to visit the Abilia experience center at the Shanghai World Expo on May 6, 2010. The center offers 25 virtual occupational experiences that allow youngsters from 7 to 15 years of age to be educated and inspired through future career prospects.

 

Joshua is a fourth grader from the Netherlands and is fond of mechanics. He and his parents came to China in late April, and arrived in Shanghai on May 4 for the World Expo. After doing some research on the Internet, the family decided to select the Abilia experience center as the first stop of their World Expo journey.

 

Joshua was curious about all the virtual occupations that Abilia offers. He decided to find out what it would be like if he was a doctor, which is a somewhat myterious occupation for him as he has never been to a hospital by reason of illness. After learning a few basics about his role as a doctor, Joshua was given the assignment of measuring the patients' height and weight, calculating their BMI, using body composition analyzer to evaluate their physical condition and giving health suggestions.

 

Joshua's first patient was his father Sebastiaan. Joshua meticulously performed a series of medical examinations on his father and then said "Dad, you need to eat more fruits and vegetables and do more exercises", because the proportion of fat in Sebastiaan's body was found to be a little higher than standard. Sebastiaan replied to his son: "Thank you, doctor!" The 30-minute experience made Joshua understand the two things that it takes to be a doctor: professional expertise and kindness to patients. At the end of the experience, Joshua said "healthy lifestyle is more important than going to the hospital!"