When I touch it, rub it, feel its smooth surface and stare at its vibrant colors, the memory of all the moment with that girl just came up to my mind. I remember our first meet. She walked to the seat beside me, asked: “Hi! I’m Vivi. What about you? ”“…Yiqian.” I murmured. I was timid and introverted on the first day of high school, especially in a completely new environment. I was feeling kind of scared. Luckily, I got the opportunity to meet Vivi and I feel like a door of my life was opened by her.
The purse I’m holding now is a birthday gift from Vivi. I quite like its color combinations of bright blue and red. The vivid colors always remind me of her, who is the most extroverted and energetic friend in my life. I still remember the moment when I received this gift from her. It was on my 17th birthday party. She packed the purse with fancy paper bag along with a cute birthday card. She said: “open it!” When I took off the wrapping, I was amazed by the loveliness of this gift. I cheered: “ I love these red soldiers! The Nutcracker is my favorite story! Thank you! ” I thank her not only because she cared about me so much but also because she’s the one who drags me out of my limited space. I’ve always admired her personal independence. She persists on doing what she consider worth to do and seldom gives up. She is such a confident and brave girl that she doesn’t afraid of being judged. I wish I could become a person like her because I cares about others’ thinking too much.
Right now, when I’m facing the same situation as four years ago, I have different feelings and reactions. It is really a big challenge for me to live and study in a brand new circumstance with a wide range of strangers. I couldn’t believe what will happen before I left China to the U.S. But here I am, standing in the classroom surrounded by new classmates. I’m with my little precious in my hands and getting an incredible feeling of intimacy, like I’m with my old friend, Vivi. Then I can’t stop thinking if she were here, what would she do. “Go and talk to your classmates, make new friends.” She’ll definitely say that.
As I got the courage from my old friend, I took a big step towards the new classmates.
“Hey, I’m Yiqian. I’m studying illustration here, what about you guys?”
“Oh! Welcome to our group. This is …”
At this moment, I feel like Vivi helps me again to become part of the new school. Although she and I are separated by thousands of miles now, some spirits of her seem to grow inside me.