Beijing teens give quake survivors warm embrace

Posted: Thursday, August 21, 2008 8:54 AM
Filed Under: Beijing, China

"It's the first time for us to come to Beijing!" exclaimed sixteen-year-old Su Man Ye, eyes smiling through her tiny glasses.

Petite and energetic, she appeared younger than her years.

"Today we met so many new friends! People are so nice to us!"

Her exuberance was infectious, and defied comprehension when you learned a little bit about her past.

Stephanie Himango / NBC News

Fifteen-year-old Ding Yi Ru, left, of Beijing, and her new friend from Sichuan province, sixteen-year-old Su Man Ye, right, pose for a photo at the Summer Palace.

Man Ye traveled to Beijing during the Olympic Games with 49 other teens from Sichuan Province for a week-long camp sponsored by the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games (BOCOG). For many of the children, including Man Ye, this trip was their first time on a plane, their first time to the capital, their first time away from home.

That home is a place the world came to know in May when a devastating earthquake killed nearly 70,000 people and injured hundreds of thousands more.

For Man Ye, home is no longer the place she once knew. As a young girl, she lost her parents, and had been living with her grandmother. But in the aftermath of the earthquake, she lost her grandmother, too. Now she is looked after by a variety of teachers and distant relatives.

Beijing students reach out
Shortly after the earthquake, the students of Beijing's No. 4 Middle School wrote a letter asking how they could help the people affected by the earthquake, according to Wang Hui of BOCOG. "When they learned that the Sichuan kids were coming to Beijing, they wanted to be a part of it," she said.

Each Sichuan student was paired up with a Beijing student for a week of exchange, fun and maybe some healing.

Man Ye was partnered with 15-year-old Beijing student Ding Yi Ru. And as early as day one of their friendship, Yi Ru's face glowed with pride and compassion. The taller of the two, her arm was draped around the shoulder of little Man Ye.

"We are new friends and we want to spend some time learning about each other,"  said Yi Ru. "We're going to enjoy the next five days together."

No ordinary camp
Urban camp life in Beijing meant dorm-living, bunk-beds and cafeteria meals of dumplings, vegetables and rice. Boys and girls still segregate themselves at the lunch tables at this age, but the spirit of the group of 100 was anything but divided.

The Beijing students were easy hosts, caring and constant companions to their new Sichuan friends. All week long, they piled into buses in matching Olympic shirts and visors. Together, they explored Beijing through visits to iconic places – Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall, and other museums.

At the serene Summer Palace, they were given the freedom to roam slowly along cool paths beneath ornate archways. They splintered off into groups large and small, and while some students were more reserved, for Man Ye and Yi Ru, there was non-stop conversation for five days.

Yi Ru told Man Ye she can't eat spicy food, like they do in Sichuan.  "But if you come to Sichuan, I'll make dishes for you that are not spicy," Man Ye responded.

The conversation jumped from topic to topic throughout the week as they window shopped, ate ice cream and played in an arcade. It didn’t even stop while they took in some of the Olympic Games.

Perched high above the Olympic basketball court, and in the Bird's Nest stadium for track & field, it was clear they had become real friends.

As they clapped inflatable sticks together in unison with thousands of fans they couldn’t stop laughing. Man Ye joked with Yi Ru – who playfully swatted the back of her head.

They both knew that within hours, Man Ye and the 49 students and 15 chaperones from Sichuan would have to pack-up, board buses to the train station and leave for home.

Stephanie Himango / NBC News

Su Man Ye visits Beijing from her home in Sichuan which was devasted by an earthquake in May.

Facing life with courage
While Man Ye packed her suitcase, Yi Ru reflected on her new friend, who had lost all of her immediate relatives and her home. "Man Ye is very strong, after all she has been through. She has taught me a lot of things, such as how to face life with courage," she said. "I have learned a lot from her."

"Something huge happened to her, and it's such a sad thing. But she still manages to keep an optimistic, positive and unbeaten outlook without showing any sign of stress or sadness," added Yi Ru.

While it was evident that Man Ye's courage had made an impact on Yi Ru, Yi Ru had also touched Man Ye's life. 

"She always takes care of me," said Man Ye, "like an older sister. Usually, we just play with each other, running around, jumping up and down. It is fun. The friendship with her? I feel really happy to know her. I have a great friend from Beijing."

She said when she gets back to Sichuan, she will call her new friends and tell them that she is safe, then she'll tell people at home how nice Beijing is.

Her mood turned faintly somber as she realized she was about to leave, and her ever stoic demeanor wavered ever so slightly.

"I am going to miss it here," she said. "When I first got here, I missed home. But now it's time to go, and I can't stand to leave. I don't want to go back home,"  she said. Her eyes blinked fast for a moment to clear the tears that were welling up in them, and she swallowed to hold back a cry.  

Moments later, the girls were walking away side by side toward the bus. Yi Ru was pulling Man Ye's suitcase along with one hand, while her other hand rested on Man Ye's backpack. 

They didn’t hug goodbye. Some of the other teens were embracing and wiping tears from their sad wet cheeks. Some already on the bus sat with their heads down, and their red eyes and tears were visible through the tinted glass.

In the commotion of departure, Man Ye climbed quickly up the stairs of the bus and turned to wave goodbye to Yi Ru. She waved back with the same optimism they both carried all week.

But when Man Ye turned away, Yi Ru's smile was less bright, and her body caved a little as she let out a sad, longing sigh.

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