I wake up in the morning and it takes me five minutes to get to school in my 2001 Honda Civic. In fact, I can’t imagine a better way to start my mornings than hopping in my car, turning on the stereo, and singing the latest Britney Spears single at the top of my lungs.
On the other side of the world, Wang Ting wakes up a full two hours before school begins. Daily, she treks kilometers from her home near her family’s farm to her school in the city. I wonder if she’s ever heard Britney Spears sing.
Separated by the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean and wholly different cultural values, I was first introduced to Wang Ting two summers ago by my mom and her association with ACCEF. I had recently finished my summer internship studying oncogenes at a research institute, and as I am lucky enough to have my parents provide for everything, the little money I earned was gathering dust in a bank account. My mom suggested that I use that money to support a child’s high school education in China. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that tuition cost only a hundred dollars per semester, seeing as how many of my cousins were spending extraordinary amounts to finance their education. Excited that my money would be put to good use, I transferred the money and wished the best for her high school career.
Some months later, I received a simple but meaningful email from her in English. However, one sentence caught my eye immediately: “Keeping on learning is the most important thing in one’s life.” Having been around apathetic American teenagers who could have cared less about school for most of my life, this statement was a much welcomed change. Many kids, here and elsewhere, do not treasure the opportunities that someone like Wang Ting yearns for on a daily basis. I am just as guilty as anyone else of taking these benefits for granted, but ever since I became pen-pals with her, I have been a little bit more thankful for just being able to send her emails; unlike her, I don’t have to make a special trip to an internet café. Most aren’t even as fortunate as she. Impoverished rural teenagers in China are forced to discontinue pursuing higher education because they must help their families on the farm. Otherwise, the family would go hungry. Although the basic necessities of life are the top priorities, these kids must be educated in order to escape poverty. With a high school diploma or a college degree, they can finally help bring their families out of the villages. That is why financial support is crucial; it is the extra push they need and the miraculous opportunity of which they can take advantage. This is why I decided to help Wang Ting.
She certainly wasn’t the only one who benefited. I’ve developed an amazing bond with a girl ten thousand miles away. When the earthquakes hit Sichuan, I was so worried until she emailed, assuring me that she was safe. Her admirable sense of poise when it comes to juggling school work with farm work inspires me to always do better. And whenever I think that my life is hard, she reminds me that I am much more fortunate than most kids in the world, just because I have a cell phone and an iPod.
Wang Ting passed her exams with flying colors, and I couldn’t be more proud or excited. Next year, I’ll be headed to Harvard, while she finishes her last year of high school. Though our futures couldn’t possibly be more different, I can’t help but feel they are the same: relentlessly in pursuit of learning and always trying to make our lives better, a little bit at a time.
By Zhao Zhang
每天清晨醒来,我那辆2001年产的Honda Civic 用短短的5分钟便能将我载去学校。事实上，实在想像不出有比每天跳上车子，迫不及待的的打开音响，哼着小甜甜Britney Spears动人肺腑的歌曲更美妙的生活了。
几乎是同一时空在地球的那头，王婷在学校正式上课前两小时就醒来了。日复一日，她艰苦跋涉近十公里从她在乡下农村的家到达她在城里的学校。地域的闭塞不禁让我怀疑她是否真的有听过小甜甜优美的歌声。
由于彼此间相隔着浩瀚的太平洋以及巨大的地域文化和价值观的差异，我也是在两年前的暑假才在一个偶然的机会通过我妈妈和她在ACCEF的朋友的介绍下才初识王婷的。当时我刚好在一个研究基因癌的研究机构完成暑期实习。对于我而言，我对自己父母能够提供给我一切而感到非常幸运，自己攒的零花钱几乎是毫无用武之地。正当我为它们被放在银行积灰而唉声叹息时，母亲动员我拿这些钱来捐助一个家庭没有经济能力供其完成高中学习的中国学生。而当我得知王婷她一学期的学费只有100美元，而不像我表兄妹们的高额学费时更是喜出望外。怀揣着自己的零用钱能够发挥余力的而久久不能平息的激动心情，我即刻将钱转出了银行账户，伴随着我对她高中学习生活的的诚挚祝福，一并交给了她。
几个月后，我收到了一封来自王婷用英文写的电子邮件。虽然只是短短的几行字，但字里行间所吐露的字符却是意味深重。任凭光阴飞逝，信中的一句话仍然深深打动着我，“不断学习是一个人生活中最重要的事情”。这对于我这样一个成长于一群不知生活艰辛贪图玩乐，而怠于勤学的美国学生的人来说，无异于是一个莫大的勉励。大多数这里长大的孩子，并不懂得珍惜他们现在优越的生活条件，而这恰恰是王婷她所日月企盼的。我曾经也和这里的许多孩子一样将我现在所拥有的父母给予我的一切看作是理所应当。但是自从我和王婷成为笔友后，我自觉负罪感日益深重，而对于我父母却日趋感激，因为至少自己不用像王婷那样为了回复E-mail而特地跑去网吧。与生活在中国广袤农村地区的其他孩子相比，王婷还是相当幸运的。农村贫困地区的许多优秀学生有时不得不为了帮助自家赖以维持生计的农务而辍学。虽然维持家庭生计是家里的每份子所应担负的责任，但是只有接受教育才能帮助家庭摆脱贫瘠。有了高中或大学的学位证书，那些优秀的学生才能带着家庭走出农村摆脱贫困。这也就是为什么经济援助是至关重要的，它是他们创造奇迹所需要的契机。同样，这也就是我为什么决定向王婷伸出援手的原因。
但她绝不仅仅是唯一收益的人。对于我来说，自己奇妙地和１个远在10000英里以外素不相识的女孩子以这样的方式产生了交往。当四川汶川发生5.12特大地震时，她的人身安全牵动了我的每一根神经，直至收到了她的来信，这才松了口气。让我更感钦佩的是王婷能很好地平衡在学习以及帮助家里打理农务两者间所投入的精力，激励了我去不断超越自己。每逢我感到生活困顿时，她总不忘提醒说单凭手机和i-pod，我就要比生活在同一蓝天下的其他孩子要幸运的多。
王婷以优异的成绩通过了本学期的考试，我为她感到由衷的骄傲和自豪。暑假过后，我开始了在哈佛的新生活，而她也将去完成高中阶段最后一年的学业。我坚信彼此间的未来不再会有着不可逾越的鸿沟，两者在某种程度上几乎是达成一致的：那就是我们对学习孜孜不倦的追求精神，以及每次都尝试提高自己的执著信念。
翻译：傅涛
2009.09.
