User:)biyibiyibiyi(/grad project/xuanxuan

How I met Xuanxuan

It's much worthwhile to look for repeaters on sale on Xianyu, a Chinese second hand exchange app, than to buy them new. The repeaters are phasing out but have not yet become precious collectibles.

On Xianyu, I become intrigued by how people are personifying their own repeaters with stickers. I looked for keywords "repeater" + "stickers", and one particular repeater stood out. It was decorated with playful stickers in the most extravagant way. I immediately put an order on it.

The repeater came with English tapes from Grade 9. I asked the seller if they are free. The seller said yes, and, out of expectation, encouraged me for me studies (by assuring me of the high school entrance exam). I've been mistaken as a final year middle school student.

The package was sent to my parents' house in China first, and they found a letter for me, written by the seller herself. It is a she, now a high school student living in Chongqing (SW city in China), whom the repeater held tremendous significance for. She wrote about her coming to age experience in the letter:

"Ever since growing up, I have been labelled as one of those “terrible” children. I was the ones who never finish their home work, never recited the texts, whenever my primary school pushed me, I procrastinate. I never committed disastrous mistakes, but full of small mis-behaviors. I was very naughty by nature. During class, my good friend is my badly damaged eraser; after class, I chat and gossiped with my good friends."

Her life changed when she discovered her motivation for learning English:

"I came to enjoy the feeling of speaking English. I started to catch up with my English fervently, as much as reciting word lists during break times and meals. I have to admit that the effort was partly driven by my wish to make it up for myself, but it was nonetheless effective."

Her Stickers on the Repeater

The most outrageously decorated repeater! >>>>>>> [| visit her repeater in here]

Documentation of our encounter

I don't think I will reproduce something from these content, just for documentation!

Letter received

For the Girl I Have Not Met Before

Dear Xiao Jia:

Hello, I am writing this letter for you under the warm yellow lights from my desk lamp. Since I don't know who you are, what you look like, however, I thought you must be more or less tired. I am going to write down several of my stories.

My name is Xuanxuan, I am a girl from Chongqing born in 2003.

Ever since growing up, I have been labelled as one of those “terrible” children. I was the ones who never finish their home work, never recited the texts, whenever my primary school pushed me, I procrastinate. I never committed disastrous mistakes, but full of small mis-behaviors. I was very naughty by nature. During class, my good friend is my badly damaged eraser; after class, I chat and gossiped with my good friends. I lived in a very small town in Chongqing. The town was very calm, and the tempo of the everyday is slow.

My parents moved to the city of Chonqing for me. I was in second year of middle school. I spent the first year in middle school in the small town; during that time I was involved with groups of friend who are, already overly “social” for middle school. After I came to Chongqing I was in a good class, but I never learned. During an exam my English scored a bit more than 30, out of 150. I didn't feel bad. One day, during the second half of that year, I came to enjoy the feeling of speaking English. I started to catch up with my English fervently, as much as reciting word lists during break times and meals. I have to admit that the effort was partly driven by my wish to make it up for myself, but it was nonetheless effective.

The final months during the third year was the remaining time. I started to put everything on stake, I don't remember my motivation, but I remembered myself reciting words during the day, using every bits of time in school to learn. After I get out of school at 6PM, there was a cram session arranged by the school for those who had chances to be selected directly into high school without examination. The session lasted until 8PM. After I return home I continued with online learning sessions on the phone, hosted by zybang.com. The session finished at 9:30PM, homework, chores, I go to bed at 11. This routine repeated everyday.

At the end, the girl who scored 30/150 before had managed a 128 for her high school entrance exam.

You are drawing the blueprint for your future today. The voyage for the otome lies in the stars and the sea.

Letter sent

Letter to the girl who wanted to write a letter to encourage me

Thank you, Xuanxuan. My name is not Xiao Jia, the postal address is at my mother's place, since she collects my packages. In fact, I am not a middle school student preparing for the high school entrance exam. You've misunderstood me. But it's quite unavoidable since who would try to put hands on tape recordings of 8th grade English other than students and parents. I was born in 1992 and eleven years older than you. Now I am a master student in my second year.

Around 2000, my parents bought a repeater to learn Cantonese. After I started receiving English lessons from fourth grade, I also used this repeater for learning English (from XueZhiYou brand). I didn't do very well during my first English exam, one of my classmates scored 100/100, and I was feeling hopeful that I can do the same. My teacher is a recent graduate from college and devoted all his time mentoring us. One day he called my house to ask my parents how am I doing. My parents were not at home and I spoke with him. Afterwards I felt full-heartedly that our teacher cared for us genuinely. After that I learned English quite proactively.

But then the process of studying is of turbulence and frustrations. After many years in school (also considering that peers around my age are mostly studying while working) , I realize that studying is not a matter of immersing into books, but it needs to involve society and the people living within it.

You must wonder why I bought your repeater. My graduation work was a reflection upon my experiences of studying, which also included memories drawn from using the repeater back in the day. I searched for quite a few repeaters decorated with stickers on Xianyu, you put stickers ALL OVER your repeater, and it drew my attention right away. I put an order immediately, and asked my mother to send it to the Netherlands to prepare my graduation work. The reason for choosing repeaters with stickers was because, I was interested in the derivative user culture for repeaters, like listening to music tapes, playing Gomoku, behind the backs of teachers and parents. They are activities indirectly related to learning.

My preparation for graduation is also neurotic. As you wish good luck for high school entrance exam, my graduation would be this exam. Are you now a second year student in high school, and will prepare for university entrance exam next year?