Sarah M., Oakwood High School
Learning from Virtual Adventures in China
Each morning, I get up early to tutor a boy right before he goes to bed. This boy, Yoyo, lives in China, is 6 years old, and is learning to read and write in English. We go on adventures through books, he demonstrates his creativity through the pictures he draws and paints at school, and he plays me songs on his piano. But how did I get into this situation? Like many other experiences this year, it started with the emptiness that Covid-19 left in my life.
At the beginning of June, it felt like I’d been trapped in my house for an eternity. There were so many things I wanted to do over the summer between eighth grade and my first year of high school - be a bridesmaid at my mother’s wedding, travel to Europe, get closer to landing my double jumps in figure skating - that I could not do because of this silent invader. As I watched this virus rampage the world, taking lives, spirits, hope, and unity with it, I wanted to do more. I wanted to help people. I wanted to make a difference. But what could I, a fourteen year old in Ohio, do?
But then, Yoyo’s mom contacted me. She needed someone to read to her son everyday to improve his English. It took weeks to figure out the technology, but one morning - finally! - (at 8:00 am for me, 8:00 pm for Yoyo), we got to meet for the first time. At first I was scared: I didn’t know how well we’d be able to communicate.
The first thing that I heard when I answered the call was, “Hi! My name is Yoyo. What is your name?” I couldn’t help but smile when I heard that. Those seven words changed my life - I was finally going to help someone! What I didn’t expect was how much Yoyo would help me.
Every day when I’m conversing with this new person in my life, two things strike me: how incredible our differences make us and how much we have to learn from each other. He tells me about holidays happening in China, and teaches me about myths that relate to what Jack and Annie are doing in The Magic Tree House series.
In the midst of a global crisis, with the relations between the United States and China stretched almost as thinly as possible, I am privileged enough to be able to have this unique, educational experience. I may be teaching Yoyo how to read, but I have so much to learn from him, and from so many other people in this world. In these high-stress times, we must remember that the only way to better our society is to help, listen to, and learn from others. You might be surprised by how much you can learn from a six year old boy who lives and grew up across the globe, and who you have never met in person - I certainly was.
