The Importance of Literacy

Being in China has made me realize how very important reading is to my daily life.

My first day here I spent a long time waiting for my bus to leave for my apartment so I could go home after work. It was parked in the lot with some other buses that all looked the same. I could have waited on the bus but I had one problem: I couldn't read the signs on the buses to tell me which one was my bus.

My co-workers here had taught me to look for the people who rode my bus but none of those people had come yet. They were all in a big meeting. So I stood on the sidewalk for over half an hour until a kind lady told me which bus was mine. I decided right then to memorize the characters for my bus so I would never have to stand waiting again.

Everywhere I go there are many helpful signs that everyone around me can read. They tell people what food they can chose on menus, which city bus to take, and the names of the students in my college.

My sister-in-law went to Hungary a few weeks ago and also had headaches because she couldn't read. It's something we never fully appreciated until we were no longer able to do it.

So, my dear students friends and neighbors, if you can read this, count your blessings. Literacy is so very important to our daily lives!

Picture above: the sign I memorized to find my bus