The Gift

I am always amazed when I am invited to a student’s home for dinner. I mean, when I think about the number of times I have asked a teacher, boss, principal etc. to dinner it starts with a ”N” and ends in an “EVER”. So I do not take the honor lightly when the invitation happens. But truth be told, I would be less than honest if I told you on this particular night I was feeling as “honored” as I should. I mean, I realized the effort it was taking for the parent to prepare that night’s meal (or so I thought, keep reading) and what a nice thing it was to do, but I was tired. My days start early, and it was a Wednesday night, I knew I still had to keep the energy flowing for two more days. Not to mention, the family spoke very broken English so the evening would be filled with gaps and lulls in conversation unless I was on my toes the entire night. Therefore, on that particular day I would have loved to just stay at home and veg. But I didn’t.

When I arrived at their address I pushed the doorbell-no answer. Then I remembered, Han’s mother told me to open the gate and walk into the backyard. Humm, maybe a backyard BBQ? So, open the gate I did and out came the two smiling faces of Han and his mother who led me to their home- in the one car garage.

Now don’t get me wrong. It was a nice place, equipped with a mini fridge and hot plate in the closet/kitchen, a small bed in front of the window where Han slept. Next to his bed was a tiny table with 3 toddler sized chairs around it, a toilet and a loft where Han’s mother and father slept.

I smiled, hoping not to show my surprise and sat down in the tiny, red plastic chair looking at the vast array of food in front of me. Noodles, curried shrimp, pork dumplings, fried rice and more- so much more that the platters were laid on top of one another on the table now directly touching my knees. How had she made all of this? Where had she put all the food before I got there? I mean, I had seen her "kitchen". I later found out they had no car and with the nearest market miles away, how far did she have to carry it? To think that someone had gone to this effort for me. My friends, I have tears even now telling you.

Sitting there, with my surroundings beginning to sink in, my eyes began to well-up. I kept pinching myself in the arm in order to help me stay focused and stop the waterworks that were on the verge of flowing. I realized this night was so much more than I had anticipated. It was a gift and I needed to learn as much as I could before it ended.

I began to ask questions. I asked how she happened to come to the United States.

She told me they had moved from China 5 years ago. She and her husband had been government scientists researching global weather. They were important. Important enough to be given an apartment to live in for free and important enough to be threatened if they were to leave the country.

I asked, "How did you end up here in my town?"

The answer was one that can only happen in our world today. The Internet.

When their son Han was born, he had been sickly from the start. Colds, fever never able to gain weight. The final blow came when he was 2 1/2 years old. His parents were told he had a heart condition so rare that the doctors in China could not help. He was given 6 months to live. Unable to take this as the final answer for their son, they began an Internet plea for help. Their message was sent around the world, country to country, from chat room to chat room, until unbelievably it reached a parent who's child had the same medical condition. This parent began a 3 month campaign of raising enough money to fly Han to the same hospital her child had been treated.

The government would not allow both parents to leave the country at the same time, they were much to valuable. Han and his mother left to seek the medical attention necessary to save Han's life. Their story was unbelievable. Han, so weak the doctors feared he would not endure the surgery. His mother, unable to bring more than a small bag from China didn't know where to place it so she left it at the front door of the hospital each day, then slept in the doorway of a local building until more good Samaritans helped her find a room.

Meanwhile, the only way the government would allow his father to leave the country was if he were to be accepted to a university program that would further his education and therefore help their country in the end. He was accepted and arrived in the United States 22 months later.

And now, here they were. Prominent global scientists living in a 1 car garage for the love of their child. Father was going to school, taking classes that would allow him to eventually teach university level Mathematics, working nights in a Chinese restaurant as a busboy, only coming home on Saturday nights for the distance was too great to travel daily on his bicycle. Just so amazing were these people.

Fast forward...the years progressed. Han's mother and I became quite close. The news was looking good for their family in many ways. They were granted permanent status in our country. Han's father had graduated and was offered a teaching position out of state at a university. Once there they would have a real home after 9 years.

The downside was they would never be able to return to China again, no relatives would be granted permission to come to the United States, as well. But as Han's mother told me...they bought a web cam.

Another miracle from the Internet. Enjoy.