By: Sophia Wang
Over the past few months, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to participate in Friday meetings with students from Yunnan. Each week, we explored a variety of topics—ranging from school life and family to pets, hobbies, and favorite movies. These conversations gave me a glimpse into what life is like in Yunnan, and I was fascinated by the cultural differences between their everyday experiences and mine here in the United States.
At the same time, I was surprised by how many things we have in common. No matter where we come from, we laugh with our friends, talk about our dreams, deal with challenges, and cherish the things we love, like our pets.
This experience has changed the way I view people from other countries. Before, it was easy to assume that someone living far away must be very different from me. But after spending time with the students from Yunnan, I’ve come to see that underneath the surface, we’re all very much alike. These conversations helped break down those invisible barriers and made the world feel a little smaller and more connected.
One of the highlights of this experience was meeting our Yunnan friends in person when they visited Washington, D.C. in May. They wore beautiful traditional clothing and gave us a wonderful performance that shared a part of their culture. It was a joyful and meaningful experience, and it made me even more curious about their lives back home.
In the future, I hope I will have the chance to visit Yunnan myself. I would love to see their hometown, visit their schools, and gain a deeper understanding of their daily lives and traditions. Building this kind of cross-cultural friendship has been incredibly rewarding, and I hope it continues to grow.
Website Editor: Sophia Wang
华府青年 CYOC 