As a university professor, I have been immersed in theory and guess for so long that it recently struck me: I don’t know how to do anything. By “do”, I mean something material, something done with my hands that produce an actual product.

The trades come to mind. Whenever I call an electrician, or a mason, or a carpenter, I look on in wonder as they smoothly employ their skills. For example, I recently had a new kitchen sink nulled by a young man. He kept singing as he worked at the pipes. Minutes later, he turned on the water and it flowed forth with nothing similar to a leak. Is this not a minor miracle?

All of this brought me to a decision: I registered for an adult evening course at a local technical school. The title: Basic Electricity and Wiring (线路). When we began, I felt immediately overwhelmed. So many new terms. In an instant, I was a student again in all respects: The anxiety, the self-doubt, the wondering if I had made a mistake. And then I recalled: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence... Education will not; the world is full of educated failures.” So I worked my way through my basic wiring course. My initial impulse to jump ship gradually gave way to the awareness that I was, indeed, acquiring a useful new skill.

What followed ahead was the course’s climax: Each student was presented with a switch and a lighting fixture (照明设备). The task was to install them-in-a-door-frame and-wire them; but not throw the switch until the instructor was present. There I was, an experienced professor, standing like a fresh-faced schoolboy. I worked away, using my tools to connect wires. When I was done, I raised my hand. The instructor looked over my job and glanced at me. “Hit the switch,” he said.

It’s hard to characterize that moment. But I did feel that learning is not something that ends early in life. I need to widen my horizon through constant learning. The broader the horizon, the more opportunities there are to learn something new.

I hit the switch.

There was light.

In more ways than one.

Since the age of three, Chelsie Hill had dreamed of becoming a dancer. That ambition nearly ended in 2010 when Hill was in a car accident, which put the 17-year-old high school senior in hospital for 51 days and left her paralyzed from the waist down. For most people, that would have destroyed any hope of a dancing career. But for Hill, it was the beginning. Far from being a barrier, her wheelchair encouraged her to fight. “I want to prove to everyone including myself that I’m still normal,” she said, “whatever normal means.”

Normal for her meant dancing, so Hill did it in her wheelchair together with her nondisabled highschool dance team. Half of her body was taken away from her, so she had to move it with her hands. It took much learning and patience.

After finishing high school, Hill wanted to expand her dance network to include women like her. She met people online who were fighting for the dream of dancing against various injuries, and invited them to dance with her. To reach more people in a larger city, Hill moved to Los Angeles in 2014 and formed a team of dancers with disabilities she called the Rollettes.

Every year Hill holds a dance camp called the Rollettes Experience for wheelchair users to help them bring out their acting talent. In 2019, 173 participants from ten countries attended. For many, it was the first time they’d felt they belonged. Edna Serrano said that being part of the Rollettes team gave her the courage to get behind the wheel of a car.“I didn’t know I could do so many things that my fellow teammates had taught me.” she said. “I didn’t know I could be beautiful. It’s so powerful to have my teammates in my life, because they’re my teachers.I have more confidence.”

Chelsie Hill achieved what many of us never will : her childhood dream. She has been chasing her dream in the wheelchair. She’s a dancer. The Rollettes have helped her find something else just as fulfilling.

The conflict (冲突) between Russia and Ukraine itself may be a questionable topic, yet it is the people who suffer the most. More than 4 million Ukrainians had fled from their homeland one month after it began. It was the biggest migration (移民) wave since World War Ⅱ.

I wanted to help by being a volunteer. However, it was difficult because I don’t speak Russian or Ukrainian. Luckily, after searching on the internet, I was finally able to sign up to volunteer in a modern gallery called Svetova.

The gallery is owned by an overseas Chinese in Prague, Czech Republic, and had over 40 volunteers to provide help for the Ukrainian refugees (难民). During a two-week intensive (集中的) aid program, the gallery provided a place to live and food for up to five people for free and also served as a safe and interesting space for children, where English classes, games and other fun activities were organized.

Because of my busy school and work timetable, I was only able to volunteer there twice. But besides the owner and his family, I was the first Chinese volunteer. My role was to help the refugees fill out registration papers. Sometimes, it was difficult with the language barrier, but there were translators to help.

I was so impressed by one Ukrainian mother and her two kids, who still had such kind smiles and bright eyes, though they must have experienced all the awful things. Some other people may not be able to easily understand their feelings, but I really valued this chance to be with those people in need, doing what I could. Because we are all humans, we should come together in difficult times.