“I usually tell people I was four times illegitimate in China. The story starts there,” sophomore computer science major Olive says with a grin.
I narrow my eyes at her, feeling a bit perplexed. The girl before me is wearing a shirt covered in milk and cookie graphics and is handing me a Christmas mug filled with hot chocolate. I wonder how someone who appears so innocent could be so deceiving.
Olive pulls her legs up and crosses them as she sits on the couch. “I’m a second child, Christian and homeschooled…but, hey we’re still there.”
I nod and take a sip out of the mug. Though Olive and I have been friends since last year, it is my first time hearing her speak about her life in China. I am all ears.
She tells me of her parents’ struggles and how her mother’s bold faith led to her father’s salvation. As a first generation college student, her mother began studying English and eventually began her career as a professor. Thanks to her mother’s work, Olive has been teaching and tutoring students at a private school her parents have run since she was 13 years old.
Not only has her mother influenced her intellectually, but Olive notes that she has been inspired by her mother spiritually. She emphasizes how her mother made sure they attended church, even though it was dangerous for large groups to meet.
“The church that I grew up in, I remember going to from a very early age,” Olive says. “It was a very small church and there were only 30 people at the time in a little shabby apartment. You have to climb five or six flights of stairs. You go up there and it’s dark. It kind of looked like a room like this.”
She points to the four walls of her dorm living room, and I try my best to imagine thirty people crammed in this space.
“The system is like a sift,” she says with a nod. “The people who are not serious fall through away from this, but the people who are serious are in it.”
Olive is right. In a place where Christianity is not the norm, you have to be genuine about your faith. As Olive continues speaking about the churches they’ve had to rotate through, I begin to realize just how hard each person must work to maintain a sense of Godly community in a place where it is frowned upon. I look at her, still smiling as she speaks, and I am humbled.
“My mom intended us to come to college in the States because she thinks this is the one country where Christianity is thriving,” Olive continued to say. “So, she designed our curriculum around it. We would watch Disney, Dreamworks, and Pixar. Gotta know the culture. So, the plan was to come here all along.”
In terms of getting adjusted to college here at Union, Olive is honest. “Looking back, it was pretty hard. I felt like every step I walked was uncertain,” she said. “When people asked me how I was, I didn’t know what to say. And, when people asked me ‘what’s up?’ I didn’t know what to say either.”
Olive explains how the culture in the United States is different, but she still understands many references. While certain phrases and passing fads might be an area of stumbling for any student that is not from the United States, Olive makes sure to acknowledge how social media helps.
“People would assume that I don’t know things and conclude that it’s because of where I come from,” she says. “But sometimes I do know those things. I watch TikTok and I watch Vine and YouTube. When people approach you having presuppositions, thinking that you’re just like the other Chinese person they’ve met, it’s weird. Sometimes it’s really uncomfortable.”
Because of these struggles Olive has faced, she feels better equipped to create community for others. She has been given the opportunity to serve her fellow students, such as being president of the international student union and secretary of the Association for Computer Machinery chapter here on campus. This semester, Olive has had the privilege to work as an RA in the Heritage residence complex.
“Being an RA kind of fulfills what I want to do,” Olive says. “I want to walk through this process of adapting to school, to college. I’ve had a pretty hard time transitioning to all of this. It was rough. So I wanted to be there for people when they were in that kind of situation.”
Even before she became an RA, Olive has always worked to improve the community. She has hosted potlucks for many students across campus, letting her peers know that she is here for them no matter the circumstance.
“Back at home we had potlucks,” she says. “Food is a big cultural thing in China. Instead of asking ‘how are you?’ in China, we ask ‘have you eaten yet?’ and you say ‘yes’ even if you have not, just like here you say ‘yes’ even if you are not. I guess bonding over food is the easiest way.”
This idea to start up large family-style meals can be associated with Olive’s upbringing, but she also gives credit to her fellow RA and close friend, sophomore Christian ministry and missions major Leah Sutton.
Olive smiles as she says, “I was inspired by Leah’s outgoing spirit. She would not think about ‘oh, why isn’t someone talking to me.’ and she would be like ‘oh, is there someone talking to that person?'”
Leah, in return, has nothing but good to say about Olive.
“There’s no category that Olive hasn’t had a potluck for,” Sutton says. “She reaches really far and is very inclusive. That has been really sweet and I think it gives people a place to come and know that they’re going to know at least one other person there. It is comfortable for them.”
Olive’s story is inspiring to all college students. She proves that putting yourself out there pays off in the long run. Though the journey to where she is now might have been long, Olive stays enthusiastic and supportive of the friends she makes along the way.
“With her potlucks and creating community, it’s just really natural for her. She invites people into her life. She doesn’t have to make something perfect in order to have hospitality,” Leah says, smiling as she does. “It’s literally who she is.”
