On the mend

I watched the movie "Finding Nemo" again recently. This time the movie is in 3-D. The storyline of the movie is about a clownfish dad who faced numerous challenges to save his abducted son, Nemo. Just like the last time I watched this movie, I was crying throughout the time when Nemo's dad fell into despair when he lost his son. However, this time, I found my crying was a lot deeper and more sensational than before, because I now can personally relate to the film due to a painful experience I suffered earlier this year.

On Jan. 4, I was seriously injured in an auto accident in the United States. When the news finally reached my parents in China, I couldn't imagine how upset and devastated they were. They must have struggled through the mental states of helplessness and hopelessness because their only daughter was 15,000 miles away and they couldn't do anything to care for their only daughter. Not everything always has a favorable outcome, but fortunately, my situation did. Just as Nemo's father went through a serious of difficulties and finally reunited with his son, my parents also conquered plentiful barriers and made it to the U.S. to be with their daughter.

Similar to Nemo's adventure, my parents and I wouldn't have made such a speedy recovery if it were not for the prayers, encouragement and support from all the individuals around me after the accident. What I learned from this accident is that there is no despair in our life as long as one doesn't give up hope. Conceding defeat is the worst enemy of our life. I would never have known how much I could advance myself if I did not take the risk and try.

After returning to China for the extended physical therapy, I wondered if I should come back to the U.S. complete my master's degree. My strong desire of continuously learning assisted me in overcoming the dilemma. Life is no fairy tale. I can only turn my life onto the next chapter if I adhere to my dreams.

As a result, I persuaded my parents that I had to come back to Hays to continue my foreign study for the fall semester of 2012. I cherish every single day of my life, all my friends and those who helped me at the time I needed them the most. As a saying goes, the beauty of life is to give roses and to have a good smell left on your hands. I really want to say thank you again from the bottom of my heart.

Ziqi Zhuang, FHSU graduate student, Mengzi Yunnan, China