Returning to The Alma Mater

The bell of Lily's last lesson in Beijing rang. Mr. Liu, a cheerful, chubby, and bespectacled man with a height of 5.6 feet who had been Lily's class teacher for five years, could not help breaking into tears at the lectern. It was because Lily was about to emigrate to Canada, and she had always been the pride of Mr. Liu for being the top three best students in class and the top ten of her batch. In front of the swings in the school field, Lily took a photo with Mr. Liu and her best friends to capture the beautiful moment at Capital Normal University High School (North Campus).

Lily has two different alma maters during her primary school days. One of them is in Beijing, which always has a place in her heart. It is a prestigious school that has been around for a century. Her grandmother, her father, and herself were students and teachers at the school at different points in time spanning over half a century. Another is in Vancouver, where she struggled. The memory of her time there, though unforgettable, feels distant now. Lily and the family moved to Vancouver when she was 12. The place was foreign and unfamiliar to her, and her lack of proficiency in English became a communication barrier. Not only could she not understand a word during the lessons, but she also had a hard time making friends. About one month after Lily enrolled in her new school, an outdoor party was held at the campus where the students were to exchange gifts and share food. While everyone was having a blast in groups, Lily could only sit on the swing by herself, nibbling on a large box of sushi made by her mother and feeling homesick. Even now, the woeful scene remains vivid in Lily's mind.

To make things even worse, Lily missed the rehearsal for the graduation ceremony as she broke her ankle in figure skating training and had to rest at home for a month. While other students walked on the red carpet in pairs of boys and girls on the day of the ceremony, she had to limp through the part alone. She insisted on not using crutches to look more dignified, not wanting to ruin the joyous atmosphere. Wearing a pair of wide pants that belonged to her mother, she hobbled down the unforgettable path with one of her legs in plaster, looking like Cinderella...

It was not until we noticed Lily had been avoiding her primary school whenever she was biking or jogging in the neighborhood that we realized how traumatized she was by her failure to blend in with the local community. The school was only around 500 meters from our house, and we could even hear the school bell ringing and the school kids laughing clearly!

Three years later, Lily took the co-op program, a compulsory course for Year 11 students at Elgin Park Secondary School. While her classmates went to work at museums, law firms, dental clinics, or McDonald's for the program, Lily did something different for the second phase of the program. Lily's co-op teacher and business teacher, who saw her talent, went to the Surrey Board of Education to seek special approval for her internship in the product design department at Sony's headquarters in North America. Lily was the only one in her batch to get the internship. She completed a market research report on live stream and business, which was acknowledged by the relevant personnel at the Sony headquarters.

Before the success, something happened and transformed Lily. The experience freed her from self-doubt, helped her move on from her past trauma, and contributed to her getting the internship. What happened was not coincidental, but fated to be...

For the first phase of the co-op program, Lily surprised everyone by choosing to be a trainee teacher at her primary school of her own accord!

When Lily came back a happy camper from the first day as the trainee teacher, we could finally be at ease after worrying about her for the past three years. It was apparent that Lily had laid the ghost of her past to rest and regained her confidence! She shared with us what happened on her first day at work excitedly and enthusiastically—how a little girl complained about the boy sitting next to her who talked too loudly, and how a little boy pestered for her to help him tie his shoelaces...

Looking at Lily's beaming face, I asked her, "As a trainee teacher, how did you feel when the students asked for your help?" Lily answered in a serious tone, "It's all about love and responsibility! Although they were all trivial matters, I felt needed by the students, and it made me deal with them with care and patience. This is something I've never experienced before. I'm so happy."

I had always wondered why Lily chose to return to her primary school for her co-op program, so I asked her about it when I was penning this article. After a moment of silent contemplation, she said, "It's because I wanted to replace the unpleasant memories with the good ones! When I first came here, I had a challenging time as I couldn't speak the language well and didn't feel a sense of belonging in the local community. That's what motivated me to go back to my primary school, where I can help my juniors in the same debacle to blend in with the locals and create beautiful memories. I guess I feel relieved after the self-redemption."

Lily and I went for a stroll after the sky cleared up in "Raincouver." We walked across a small bridge to the vast field in front of her primary school. The rain droplets on the grass from the downpour last night glistened under the sunlight. Suddenly, Lily suggested, "Daddy, let's play on the swing! You don't have to push me. I can do it myself..."