In Student Correspondent articles, we hear from some of Beijing’s
best and brightest students about their takes and perspectives on
global and local issues. Here, Kelly Liu is 16 years old Grade 10 student at Keystone Academy talks about experiencing the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia.
Back in February, with excitement and timidity, I flew from Beijing
to Bogota, Colombia, and started my three-week-long Roundsquare
exchange. Yet at the same time, the COVID-19 situation in China became
even more serious, and I quickly felt like I was in a completely
different world, when almost every post on Chinese social media was
about the virus. With the rapid spread of COVID-19, the conversations
among students about prom parties and summer plans took a backseat, and
the pandemic became all we could talk about. While the successful
construction of a hospital in Wuhan in just 10 days was impressive and
encouraging for everyone, no one predicted that two months later,
Colombia would be in the same horrifying situation.
My friends in Bogota and I have always contacted and checked on each
other and while cultural surprises do exist, but they help us to
understand each other’s culture more comprehensively. Without making any
absolute comments on either one, this article will analyze how well are
students from two diverse cultures facing this pandemic from two
perspectives: cultural disposition and social atmosphere.
Cultural dispositions can be defined as voluntary and unconscious
attitudes and actions that are being influenced by cultural values.
Considering the conversations between my Colombian friends and me, I’ve
noticed they seemed less anxious and restrained than me, a Chinese girl.
After the first few cases in Colombia were confirmed, my friends told
me that they went to a party without wearing masks. I was completely
shocked because if I was in that situation, the only thing I would have
done is to stay in quarantine in my home. Obviously, this is neither
absolutely a bad thing nor absolutely a good thing but it’s intriguing
to explore these cultural disposition differences through analyzing
real-life events, especially facing this global challenge.
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I’ve heard from my Colombian friends that there is an
increasing amount of homeless and jobless people protesting in their
country. One of my friends told me that “the social atmosphere is very
harsh because we know that many people are struggling, that gets to you
because there are people out there that don’t know if they are going to
eat or live.” The emotion overall has been comparatively down and
negative. On the other hand, personally I’ve always found that the
social atmosphere in China is comparatively positive, which provides me,
as a teenager, with enough encouragement to follow rules of social
distancing and staying in quarantine.
Narrating what I’ve observed and noticed helps me to analyze these interesting cultural differences, and how they influence
our understanding and attitudes towards COVID-19 as teenagers.
Encouraging each other during the process has also helped me as a
Chinese person to understand how well teenagers from another culture
face this global issue. Teenagers should be aware that gaps between
cultural perspectives can be diminished by working together towards the
same goal: defeating the pandemic by encouraging and backing up each
other.
Kelly Liu is 16 years old Grade 10 student at Keystone Academy.
Skiing, snowboarding, and dancing are important components of Kelly’s
life. At the same time, she enjoys exploring different cultures, as well
as different places around the world.