I believe that helping other people is helping yourself!
I am from Akesu, a city in the middle of the Taklamakan desert. When I was 15 years old, I decided to go to the United States which I knew nothing about except what I saw on Hollywood movies and some TV shows. I didn’t know why or how my parents trusted me so much, so my dad said goodbye in the living room and my mom said good luck before I went through the security check at the city airport.
Then my long journey began. It was the longest one in my life for my body and soul. My mom booked the flight which went from Akesu to Beijing then to Hong Kong and finally to JFK. However, things do not always go as you expected; I had to wait 6 hours in Hong Kong for my flight. When I tried to call my mom, my phone was not working at all, so I was standing in the middle of the airport with whole bunch of strangers from all over the world.
Suddenly , a pay phone appeared in my sight. I picked it up trying to put my quarter in it, but I forgot I was in Hong Kong. I couldn’t use a Chinese quarter. My hands started shaking, and I dropped my wallet. Then I saw 50 dollars in my wallet, and I realized that I could use US dollars here to make change. I went up to a Starbucks and tried to order a cup of ice coffee. However, my body was too shaky to speak clearly. I saw the change in my hand, my heart stopped for a second because they were US coins which I could not use to make a phone call.
At that moment I felt as if I had been thrown into a freezing lake, and all I could hear was my accelerated heartbeat. In my head I told myself:“ John, you have to calm down and try to figure this out! Don’t forget, there are a lot of people here who speak Mandarin and English, and you can ask them for help!” However, my body wasn’t in my control, and I still could not speak a complete sentence in either English or Chinese. Even worse, all the Chinese people I asked wouldn’t help me because they didn’t trust a strange kid in the middle of the Hong Kong airport. When I was so lost, suddenly there was this Japanese girl who gave a look that said, “Do you need help?” I walked up to her, and we could not understand each other at all because she didn’t speak English or Mandarin, so we I communicated with me by holding a dollar in my hand and with using the weirdest movement trying to tell her that I needed some Hong Kong quarters to make a phone call. In the end she gave me 4 quarters, and she didn’t even take my dollar.
I used 2 quarters and made a 30-seconds call with my mom, and I kept other two with me until today. It reminds me of what felt like when you were hopeless, and what it feels like when you can help someone or be helped. Today, I cannot remember what exactly we talked in that phone call except “ Mom I only have 30 seconds, and I am safe.” However, the message which the quarter carries will never fade out of my memory. Today, I still have Two Hong Kong quarters in my wallet just like all the other ones, but only I know the story they carry, and the belief I carry.
When I got here at Cheshire Academy, this place taught me more than helping. This place taught me carrying! I remember the day I first time arrived here I didn’t have pillow or sheets and Mr. Shen lend me his; I remember the day I get lost about my grades Ms. Anderson and Ms. Guarino helped me to improve myself. I remember the day I didn't know what should I do with my college Mr and Mrs. Monahan was there for me. I remember the day I was sick alone in my dorm, and Mr. Marshall made my tomato chicken soup and a begal. I remember the young, naive, lost, lonely and shy boy 4 years ago, and how he turned into the mature, carrying, hopeful and positive young man John Jiang today! In this I believe in that if we can help others whenever we have the ability to do so, we can create a community such as Cheshire Academy which can make everyone one of us a better person!
