Dear friends,
Hello. My name is Chu Huanying, now a final-year student in high school. It is my honour to receive your sponsorship, which is giving me such a big help with my education.

Thank you for your support, which has drastically reduced my parents’ financial burden. Your sponsorship has removed my worrying while pursuing my education, and helped me to be a step closer to my dream, making me confident that everything is possible in life. Though at the moment I cannot repay your kindness, the only thing I can promise is to try my best in school during this final, critical year and get admitted to a good university. This is the best that I can do for everyone who gave me their support.

Life is a mix of changes, challenges, joy and sadness. I hope you don’t mind that I share some of my unsophisticated thoughts with you about what happened to me in the following paragraphs.

As the saying goes, “Children from poor families are forced to take up responsibility early in life”. This is also my circumstances, having come from a peasant family. I understand my mother’s tears and the hardship my father has to cope with.

I try to help with housework and also do work in the crop field. Though in such a quiet rural setting there is no material enjoyment, I enjoy quite a life of harmony with my family.

My performance at school has always been quite satisfactory, as I love studying a lot. Perhaps due to my outgoing and child-like personality; I have been quite popular and have gained the affection of my parents, teachers, schoolmates and friends. Life was so beautiful, with the melody composed of laughter and cheers, that I was content. Those school days were lovely, of perfectly blue skies.

However, the good days didn’t last long; While I was preparing for the mid-year school exams in my third secondary school year, my health deteriorated so severely that I fainted several times. It didn’t show any signs of improvement after we paid many visits to the doctors; went to clinics in other villages and tried lots of different medicines.

I thought about my schoolmates studying very hard for the exams while I was not able to work with them; my heart burned with pain and frustration. Giving up the exam was my least preferred choice, but what could I do? Gradually, I lost hope. I was in despair: why God treating me so unfairly? I didn’t understand! Tears were only my companion those days.

I knew there were people in greater suffering, but among my peers I felt most unfortunate. I envied those who could get into prominent universities, while I was like an eagle with an injured wing, a fish out of water. The pain was too much.

Fortunately, my class teacher pulled me back from despair. And with encouragement from family and friends I began to face the situation with a more positive mind. A month before the 2005 mid-term exams I finally regained my courage, stepping into the classroom once again.

With a score of 533, I could get into the Baoshan City Lower Village Secondary School. There were several things to consider in choosing this school. Money was my major concern. My family incurred large debts because of my illness. Also with a little brother in secondary two, my family surely could not afford both our tuition fees in the coming years. So I am grateful that this school provides me with financial concessions and subsidies.

Now in high school I am still going between hospital and home, since I am not recovered yet. Life is hard, and every minute I am in pain, but I am still able to manage the schoolwork. A life of medicine, pain and tears is tough, but as the days pass, I grow more determined to fight for life.

It may seem that I have lost a lot, but on the other hand I have gained tremendously from my parents, my teachers and my friends from their pure love. Perhaps it’s life trying to show me the truth?

I will embrace life, no matter that my path ahead is bumpy and there will be many hurdles ahead: I will meet them with smile and self-belief. I truly believe that one day I will sail to my destination with pride!

I will do my best in the 2008 university entrance examination!

Thank you once again for all your support. Thank you! I wish you good health, prosperity and happiness.

Chu Huanying
18th August 2007
Pingzhang

www.globalinsitutefortomorrow.org