Whirlwind 2021

Whirlwind
The Pandemic’s Silver Lining
By Michelle L.
The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) started in
December of 2019 in the city of Wuhan in central China.
Within months, it has affected the daily life and national
economy of every populated continent. People have found
new ways to live their lives indoors and connect over the
internet. Social distancing is reinforced, and numerous
schools have closed.
My family planned to go to Shanghai and neighboring
cities such as Suzhou, I. M. Pei’s hometown, and
Hangzhou during the spring break of 2020 but obviously
with the COVID-19 situation, it was cancelled. Today,
we spend our time at home and interact only with our
family members. But even through hard times, it is
always possible to find the positive. It is just a matter
of how you look at things. I found this to be true with
my experience of connecting with a Chinese pen pal
Yue, a sixth grader, who lives in Suzhou, China! My
parents and Yue’s parents are friends, but they haven’t
seen each other for over 20 years. When our trip was
canceled, she contacted me and now we write to each
other on a regular basis.
opens another door for me.
The COVID-19 situation has made me realize that
through hard times, there are good things that will change
your life, even though they may be small. It truly depends
on you finding the silver lining during hardships in life.
Of course, we need to be cautious and concerned about
the current situation, but we can also try to turn it around.
It is important for all of us to keep an open mind when
we look at problems and reach out to help others. At this
time during the COVID-19 pandemic, giving back to
communities and doing good provides opportunities for
everyone to find a new path or a new interest.
Yue and I communicate with each other by
email and write mostly in Chinese. We became pen
pals last February when America had not yet been
impacted but China was shut down. I was still in
school and had my regular activities.
In our emails, we like to talk about music and
about our daily lives. Living in China is very different
from living in America. It is fascinating to see the
differences in our cultures. For example, school is
quite different. Yue has at least two hours of homework
to do every day while we get much less. Yue and I
also talk about the books we read, especially Chinese
classics. Together we celebrated Chinese and American
holidays such as Saint Patrick’s Day, Easter, and the
Dragon Boat Festival. As the coronavirus gets worse
in America, we talk about how China and America
are changing every day. We both are experiencing the
effects of social distancing and self-isolation. We can’t
see our friends, or go parties, or visit a movie theater,
or eat at our favorite restaurants and going to the mall
is definitely out. These similarities bring us together
and make us feel that we understand and support each
other.
Although we have never met in person, we hope to
keep being pen pals. Our conversations let me see the
contrast between American and Chinese cultures and
Time to Unwind
~Rojia K.
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