Dear Grandpa, 

I can still recall the reluctance on your face when my parents told you that I am going to a boarding school in the United States. You knew you couldn’t persuade me and my parents to change our minds, so you remained quiet, listening to us plotting my future in a foreign country you’ve never been to. You learned about America through Chinese radio stations and news on TV, yet I learned by traveling and interacting with its people. Unfortunately, this disparity between us has set our ideologies apart. Just like in Between the World and Me, a book that I have recently read in my English class, I feel a barrier that separates us from each other as the author feels about his son in the book. Therefore, I am writing this letter in an attempt to remove this barrier. 

It pains me every day to face the fact that your world is restricted due to your difficulty walking and attending planes. Your knowledge of the foreign world comes from a government-controlled news channel. Nobody can distract you while the news is on, not even me. Your eyes become glued to the screen, your ears attentively listening to the reporters. Each time I walked by you, I could see some sort of fighting, bombing, shooting images and videos on the TV, all of the violent incidents that happened in a foreign country. In contrast, every news report about China was optimistic, such as a successful space launch, a scientific breakthrough, or a sensational announcement. 

After seven months of online school at home in China, I was ready to return to the United States in March 2021. Before my departure, you overwhelmed me with hundreds of questions and advice about my safety. You nagged, “Don’t take food or drinks from strangers. Wear your mask the whole time, and don’t go in public or you would be infected because no one in America cares about COVID!” I was irritated by your words, so I quickly nodded and switched the subject. I would first like to apologize for my impoliteness, but I hope you can understand where my frustration was coming from. To look at the brighter picture, by April 2021, 35% of the population in the United States have already received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines, and 19.5% were fully vaccinated. The percentage grew rapidly each day, and I received my vaccination as soon as I returned. Moreover, the majority of Americans, at least the ones I’ve met, wore masks in public areas, and hand sanitizer stands were very accessible as well. Therefore, you did not need to worry about my health at all. Your concerns possibly came from the exaggerated information you obtained from the television or the radio, which caused you to picture the United States as a much more chaotic and dangerous place. 

         Besides COVID, you were also worried about me becoming a victim of racism. As you know, hate crimes against the Asian community exacerbated since COVID started. On the day when a white man shot eight people at an Asian spa store in Atlanta on March 16, 2021, six of whom were Asians, you messaged me a short video about this news. The video showed the crime scene with intense and ominous background music. You texted me afterward and wrote, “That country is unsafe, protect yourself!” A part of me was thankful for your concerns, and I know you had good intentions. However, I was frustrated with your messages because I knew that you only saw the negative aspects of the news, again. Staring at the chat box, I could feel your apprehension and fear for my safety through the screen. In reality, I could not be safer at the moment. I was on a campus where I have never encountered racism or violence, and I was surrounded by responsible teachers and caring classmates. Moreover, anti-racism movements were initiated as a result of the incident. People from all racial backgrounds held protests to ally with the Asian community; large amounts of money were raised to support the victims’ families; also, volunteers rotated to guard the safety of Asian individuals, especially the elders, in Chinatown in New York City. I want to let you understand that positive changes were made and that all races of people are taking action to advocate for the victims and the Asian community in general. I want you to see the bright side of the issue, and I want you to know that there is justice. 

It would make me relieved if you could process the news with a more critical perspective and not become deceived by the media. I acknowledge that this could be difficult for you because you have never traveled outside of China or immersed yourself in any foreign cultures, but I hope you can realize that the reality in the United States is not perilous and hostile as portrayed on television or the radio. The media nowadays often distorts facts and covers the truth, so you need to be conscious about what you choose to believe. I also want to tell you that even though bad things are inevitable, they will be followed by positive adjustments, and there is good in this world. I have met countless beautiful souls during my 4 years of boarding school experiences in the United States, and they have all taught me how to be strong, courageous, open-minded, and independent. I just wish that you could explore and experience the world as I do. Therefore, I will do my best to share my stories and visions with you as much as possible. 

Love, 

Christina