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Memory Of Three Years
浏览次数:1361次 更新时间:2020-06-09

 By Elena Zhao and Vivian Zhao


Three years ago

  Our plan to travel around China originated in 2013, it was an unforgettable summer, and our life took a turn.

  We were sixteen years old and had studied English major at Qingdao University for two years. Our family left Qingdao for the first time to participate in the ACT Youth English Proficiency Demonstration and Communication Show in Shanghai.

  The competition process was smooth, though we couldn't take planes and live in fancy hotels as same as the rest contestants, we were beyond exhilarating because we got out of our home and saw the outside world through our hard-working. Our impossible wish, which was like an insignificant seed, finally reached sunshine and became a sprout.

   After the competition was over, the organizer offered us help to study abroad, free training, apply for full-scholarship. This would be an extraordinary outcome for all those years of hard-working, and it is one of our goals as well.

  The other goal of ours was to travel around the world.

  One always desires most of the single thing that one can not have. We could barely go out since we were children, especially during winter, to prevent catching a cold so that we would stay at home for three to four months in a row. That's why we loved reading, and we experienced customs and historical scenic spots from all over the world through books. We love Echo the most among all authors, her travel journals didn't only write about the scenery, but also about the local lives. Ever since wee read her articles, this life-style buried a seed in our hearts and rooted.

  So, after we thought it over in ten minutes, we chose the second path.

  When we came back from Shanghai, we started to find a way to accomplish our dream. After several ideas fell through, we successfully opened an online pastry shop on Wechat. But a devastating event occurred not before long, our father had a heart attack and checked in in the hospital at 2014's Mid-Autumn Festival, then we learned that he has always had a heart problem. We thought our dream was impossible, but with the help of good-hearted people, it gradually became possible. Our utopia was realized by them.

 





Two years have gone by until now

  After we set the bookshelf in the back of our car, the Yangzhou TV wanted to interview us, and we took a test run there. When we arrived at Yangzhou Special Education School and opened the back of our car, the students saw a bookshelf of books, and there were longings in their eyes. These weren't many books for us, but in the children's eyes, they are the most valuable treasure in the world. That day was freezing, but they didn't fear the cold wind, stood beside the car, and read carefully.

  The majority of families of special children are not wealthy, and they barely have new clothes, let alone new books. There was one girl in the school who said that her parents wouldn't pay for extracurricular readings and thought it's a waste of time. Not only families of special children feel this way, but children in remote mountain regions also can not get other genres of books except textbooks; they also don't have brand new books. When we see them, we decided we were not only going to use our car as a mobile bookshelf, we were going to bring bookshelves to schools, and books would be brand new ones purchased by us.

  With this wish, we started our journey officially in October 2017. it has been two years, and we have set foot in most places of our motherland. We have been to thirty provinces and cities and traveled thirty-three thousand kilometers. To be more suitable for self-driving, we modified the bookshelf into a bed; even so, we didn't give up on the mobile bookshelf.

  In November 2018, under the introduction of Confucius International School Qingdao, we went to a school located in the suburb Linyi. Most of the children there are left-behind, the school's condition is better than their homes. Therefore we decided to bring mobile bookshelves to them. A month later, before we left for Hainan, we hand-delivered 500 new books and a bookshelf to their school. Seeing their happy and content smiles, we know that they will cherish the books. 

Knowing that has made our day.

  Within the two years, we changed our journey into words and videos; however, they are more than mere travel journals and Vlogs, we combined accessibility rating with it. When we made a plan and researched online, we found out that there was no information about accessibility or accessible bathrooms. Every time we go out, it's like navigating in uncharted waters. We are fine, and we missed out on some scenes. Our parents, on the other hand, need to go through extra troubles. Whenever there are stairs, they are the most exhausting ones.

  Kanas Lake is the most breathtaking lake in China, and it is on our must-go-in list. As soon as we arrived at the parking lot, we heard that private cars couldn't go in, and the transportation of Kanas is the bus, which is hard for us to get on and off. Therefore, mom went to the service center without resting for one moment. Nobody there could help her, but she didn't quit, she kept asking. In the end, a police officer learned about our condition, and told her that she could file a report at Forestry Bureau, then she drove straight to there. We thought everything was fine when we entered, but it turned out that we needed to climb 1,068 stairs to see the entire Kanas. Our mom still wouldn't give up, and then she found a platform not too high up, it had enough space for a wheelchair and was able to see partial Kanas. We didn't want to go because we didn't want to trouble them. But they saw right through our disguise and carried us up. The wind was freezing, and we could hear her heavy breathing on her back and felt her sweating. Father took off his coat to be more convenient to carry us. Thanks to them, we were able to see this spectacular scenery and see the most astonishing lake in China.

  We have experienced many unfortunate things along the way, and there have been many setbacks. Therefore, we want to let more people in wheelchairs, whether it's due to disability or age, can be prepared when they go out and choose someplace more accessible through our action.

 


One year is left

  From August to mid- October, we went to the border of China, Xinjiang.

  One thing we remember genuinely happened when parked at the parking lot of Karez, Turpan, for the night. After dinner, a little girl and her grandmother came to find us. Her grandmother said that the girl saw our car and went home to tell her, the little girl wanted to buy her a car like this and take her travel when she grows up.

  We were beyond happy and exciting when we heard things like this. Because we not only promoted reading, we also encouraged people to follow their dreams and advertised a life-style. People often knock on our window to chat when we park at the parking lot of tourist attractions and expressway's service area. We would tell our story, they would tell us theirs. Recently, we received our journalists' certification, so we want to set a table beside the G318, offer hot water in exchange for stories of the passengers. G318 is one of the roads with most stories to tell. Pilgrims kowtow along the way piously, and travelers are travel-worn to admire the sacred Potala Palace. They may be there searching for consolation because they are in hazardous conditions, or they are there searching for an opportunity because they have lost hope. Whatever reason guided them there, there most be astonishing stories behind it. We hope to share the stories with everyone.

  With the help of good people and sponsorship of Confucius International School Qingdao, our three-year-traveling is coming to an end. Three years passed in a flash, but we are not ready to settle down. We are preparing our five-year plan to go to Europe. We have opened a Wechat Online Shop, and we sell imported snacks and hygiene products. It was under the same name as our Wechat pastry three years ago, Wenya Sweet Shop. We hope the same start point can bring us to a different destination.

 


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