A Second Home

Vivian (center) and her parents on the banks of the Delaware river.

As the only child of first-generation Chinese immigrants in America, I grew up without the company of siblings or cousins. I definitely wasn't lonely; mom and dad were always there for me, and I had plenty of close friends from school. Growing older, I started wondering what it’d be like to have a brother or sister but resigned myself to the fact I’d never be able to experience a close bond of that sort, the kind only siblings could share.

However, that perception has changed in the eight years I’ve been enrolled in Fei Tian. During this time, the people surrounding me have felt more like siblings than friends. It’s hard to describe, but I think some stories speak for themselves.

I used to be an extremely introverted person who thought changing schools was the worst thing that could ever happen to a kid. This dread came from personal experience. I moved from Atlanta, Georgia to Lexington, Kentucky when I was in kindergarten, and then moved back to Atlanta in sixth grade, where I continued to change school districts. After each of these moves, I struggled to fit in and make new friends. I found the process of opening up to new people very difficult, and it usually took me months to finally start feeling comfortable. I expected the same kind of struggle when starting school at Fei Tian, but little did I know, a different scenario awaited.

In dance class, we usually split into two groups to learn dance routines. During my first few weeks, I couldn't remember most of the moves, which usually wasn't a huge problem, since I stood in the back and could watch people in front of me. One day, however, we got a new routine that was performed with many moves facing the back. This meant that I couldn't see anyone. I felt extremely helpless, and basically entered full-out panic mode until a classmate from the other group came over to help. She stood where I could see her while facing the back, and did the whole routine again with my group. She helped me this way every day until I memorized the moves myself. I wanted to express my gratitude or repay her in some way, but when I mentioned it, she just smiled and waved it off, saying it was no problem. This memory is still vivid in my mind, even after eight years. Never before had I felt such genuine goodwill and selflessness from a classmate I barely even knew. I would slowly find that small acts of kindness like this were the norm at Fei Tian.

Once, in the weeks leading up to a dance competition, I had problems with my front aerial.  No matter how I practiced, I just wasn't able to do it well. On the day of the competition, I was a nervous wreck backstage, but once again, when I was in the depths of despair, a friend came to save me. She was the competitor slated to go on right after me, but instead of preparing or warming up, as people normally do, she used her precious time to help me. She watched me practice, giving me pointers. That day, I ended up doing one of the best front aerials I’ve ever done. Again, I was extremely grateful, and wanted to somehow repay her. But again, this friend waved it off, saying it was nothing.

Due to these seemingly small acts of kindness, I quickly came to see Fei Tian as a second home. I found myself laughing more than I ever had before and breaking out of my introverted shell. And as the years passed, I realized I’d found a group of people who were just like siblings to me.