I apologize if you were looking for this entry from Wednesday. I was trying to resize a photograph and one thing led to another, and well, it disappeared.
The blog was to give a fuller portrait of Staff Sgt. Lydia Chen of the Illinois National Guard now serving in Afghanistan. I will reprint the letter from her childhood friend, An Gao:
Lydia and I came to America from China around the same time. Both of us did not know a word of English and we quickly became friends after seeing each other at elementary school. I remember we would always walk home together (since we lived within 2 blocks of each other) and talk about what happened during the day. Her house is closer than mine, so when we reach her house, we would always sit in front of her doorstep and continue to talk for a while before I head home. We would talk about all sorts of things from things we did back in China to when we would roller-blade, play Chinese checkers, and go to the playground. She's more quiet, but is always determined and optimistic: she always says we will master English soon and get good grades. We both had the goal of becoming a doctor and continue to work towards that goal today.
In a way, she serves as a reminder of things that I need to do when I get off track, at the same time, she offers shoulders and ears to me when I need it. She is really dependable like that. She is also pretty honest and straightforward with you: when she didn't like something about me (hair, clothes, etc) she'd tell me, and that's what I really appreciate in a friendship. After finishing elementary school, I moved to another city. But we continued to keep in touch throughout the next 15 years by visiting each other during weekends (doing the usual girly things such as shopping, sleep over, making cookies, watching movies, reading magazines etc). Once we are in college, we continue to call each other on the phone and meet up during breaks: I would visit her in Chicago during the summer and she would come over to Jersey for Christmas. Now that she's far away, we email a couple of times per month to catch up. I definitely know that we will stay friends forever.
When I found out she was going to Afghanistan, I was truly excited for her. I know it's going to be long and hard, but I am sure she will overcome what is in her way and come back a totally new person. And she knows that as well. She's not afraid of new things and always welcomed any life changing opportunity with open arms. I normally don't know much about what's going on in that area, so it's only after finding out she's going that I paid attention to these matters. I now know that a country's safety is a lot more than policies we vote for, it's more about the people servicing us and carrying out the rules we believe in.
One's personality usually stays throughout life, what I saw in her when we were young was her determined, hard working ethic, which I believe is what carried her to where she is now. I really respect her for she's doing now and it also made me think a lot more about others serving the country. I am so glad to have a friend like her and will always be proud of her.
The blog was to give a fuller portrait of Staff Sgt. Lydia Chen of the Illinois National Guard now serving in Afghanistan. I will reprint the letter from her childhood friend, An Gao:
Lydia and I came to America from China around the same time. Both of us did not know a word of English and we quickly became friends after seeing each other at elementary school. I remember we would always walk home together (since we lived within 2 blocks of each other) and talk about what happened during the day. Her house is closer than mine, so when we reach her house, we would always sit in front of her doorstep and continue to talk for a while before I head home. We would talk about all sorts of things from things we did back in China to when we would roller-blade, play Chinese checkers, and go to the playground. She's more quiet, but is always determined and optimistic: she always says we will master English soon and get good grades. We both had the goal of becoming a doctor and continue to work towards that goal today.
In a way, she serves as a reminder of things that I need to do when I get off track, at the same time, she offers shoulders and ears to me when I need it. She is really dependable like that. She is also pretty honest and straightforward with you: when she didn't like something about me (hair, clothes, etc) she'd tell me, and that's what I really appreciate in a friendship. After finishing elementary school, I moved to another city. But we continued to keep in touch throughout the next 15 years by visiting each other during weekends (doing the usual girly things such as shopping, sleep over, making cookies, watching movies, reading magazines etc). Once we are in college, we continue to call each other on the phone and meet up during breaks: I would visit her in Chicago during the summer and she would come over to Jersey for Christmas. Now that she's far away, we email a couple of times per month to catch up. I definitely know that we will stay friends forever.
When I found out she was going to Afghanistan, I was truly excited for her. I know it's going to be long and hard, but I am sure she will overcome what is in her way and come back a totally new person. And she knows that as well. She's not afraid of new things and always welcomed any life changing opportunity with open arms. I normally don't know much about what's going on in that area, so it's only after finding out she's going that I paid attention to these matters. I now know that a country's safety is a lot more than policies we vote for, it's more about the people servicing us and carrying out the rules we believe in.
One's personality usually stays throughout life, what I saw in her when we were young was her determined, hard working ethic, which I believe is what carried her to where she is now. I really respect her for she's doing now and it also made me think a lot more about others serving the country. I am so glad to have a friend like her and will always be proud of her.
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