Nancy

"...that is why I must work so hard in university...so that I can get a good job and support my parents."

Nancy had just given me her seat as we began the one-hour bus ride back to the north campus where she and I live. We chatted the entire way home; here is her story.

Nancy comes from a family of four children, including a twin brother (more children are allowed in small villages.) Her parents are hard-working farmers. Until recently, they were rice farmers. Then the government told them they were to farm tobacco, which they do now. They were told it would bring them more money.

Nancy's parents get up very early, go home for lunch and a short rest, then work into the night. She told me that carrying the tobacco leaves to her home is very hard work. She pointed to her shoulder saying, "It is so painful to carry."

"I'm sure you help your parents a great deal," I said,

"Yes, but they can carry much more than I can."

"Will your twin brother go to university?" I asked.

"No, he does not like school...he doesn't study. In our small village, there is not good education. Most children stay at home after graduation...they do not go on to university. That is why I love my parents so much; they are working so hard to send me to Guangdong University."

"What do you want to do, Nancy?"

"After I graduate, I want to get a good job and support my parents. I want them to relax and to do some traveling."

"What a wonderful goal."

"All the people in my village look very old - it is because they work so hard. I want my parents to be able to enjoy some beautiful sceneries before they get too old."

I looked at Nancy...her story is similar to so many or our students. Their ultimate goal is to get a good job to support their hard-working parents. That is their very first dream.

Nancy, you, and so many of your classmates, inspire me.

My wish for you is that it all happens, just as you want it to.