When I was a child, my grandmother often said interpersonal communication mattered. She backed that up with her own behavior, and she invested her time and energy in interacting with people. When she walked down the street, she spoke to everyone, whether an elderly or a child, speaking whether English or Spanish.
However, as she aged, she noticed that most people wouldn't have time for communication that's longer than a 160-character text message, much less time to develop genuine friendships that last decades. In fact, people are barely speaking to one another nowadays. As much as I hate to admit it, I have noticed it too.
My grandmother opened my mind to having a pen pal on the other side of the world. It all started in 2013 when I was at University of Southern California. I met with Kerstin Zilm, a German radio personality who wanted to interview me about being a student struggling financially. I didn't know much about German culture or the German audience who would listen to the show, but I agreed to do so. I had internalized（使内在化）my grandmother's concept and I felt this was another way of communication and that speaking about my story was better than keeping it to myself. You never knew who could learn from your life experiences.
After the story aired, a woman named Renate reached out to Kerstin, inquiring how she could find me and help me financially with college. I was grateful, but my pride didn't allow me to accept the money.
However, I didn't let the opening halt. Encouraged by Kerstin, I emailed Renate back, thanking her for her kindness. This was the beginning of a beautiful intercontinental friend-ship. From then on, Renate and I often emailed each other. And whenever I was in trouble, she was always there. She sent me virtual hugs at the moments when I needed them most. Though I have never met her in person, she is one of the most important people in my life.
