A glimpse into the next two years of her life consisted of colorful pajamas and sweet, cold ice cream. A family of nine, sitting around their couch before bedtime, ask her questions ranging from “What’s your name?” to “Who’s your favorite Disney princess,” to which she nervously answers “Cinderella.” Fast-paced, American-accented English rings throughout the room and into her curious ears. Looking carefully at her future home, eleven-year-old Zoe Sun takes in a breath of Michigan air. It would be a few months until she officially joined the Rivets household. Until then, she would have to make peace with the fog veiling the next branch of her life.
Growing up in Shanghai, China, Zoe (Zhishu) Sun boldly marched through life, standing on her own two feet, from an early age. Sent to boarding school at age three, she quickly developed a strong sense of independence. “I hated not seeing my parents at first,” she said. “I hated the swim classes at school. But over time, things got better. In a way, it prepared me for far bigger challenges.”
Zoe started learning English around the same age she began living away from home. Her parents, always supportive of their daughter, were determined to put the skill to use as they mapped out the big move from China to the US in April 2019 for Zoe and her mother.
“My parents didn’t tell me that [my mom and I] were permanently moving to the US until we got here,” Zoe remarked. “They told me we were going on vacation. I had a feeling, though, because I barely went to school right before the move.”
Although saddened to leave her father behind in China, Zoe lived a hectic first few weeks in New York. In and out of the house, Zoe and her mother embarked on a quest to find her a host family, which would help her become accustomed to American culture more quickly. “When we went to Michigan, we were actually tagging along with another boy also looking for a host family,” Zoe explained. “It was a surprise when we managed to find one for me there that day. All I remember from first meeting them is that they were eating ice cream before bed, something I never got to do before.”
However, the ice cream was not the only difference between the world she had entered and the one she knew. With seven children, the Rivet household was a complete turn of tables, chaotic and lively, for the only child. Her new host parents had their attention divided eight ways, and each child was left with much more liberty during their day than Zoe had ever had attending boarding school.
Furthermore, she followed her host siblings to a private Catholic school, where barely anyone looked like her or shared similar experiences. All her textbooks, written in small English font and frighteningly large vocabulary, had Zoe spend hours pouring over her schoolwork. Bible study – something that was not part of her curriculum in China — was most definitely a struggle. “I thought my English was good,” Zoe recalled. “But it wasn’t good enough to succeed at first. I felt a bit hopeless sometimes.”
Even at home, she was in uncharted territory as she shared a room with Andréa, one of her new host sisters and frankly, someone she knew nothing about. “I was the top bunk, and she was the bottom,” Zoe said. “We didn’t immediately click. There was jealousy and a lot of uncertainty between us – a wall.”
An unexpected twist in her stay, however, began in March 2020. The pandemic had forced everyone, including Zoe, into lockdown at home, or in her case, with the Rivets. While Zoe had already become accustomed to the family after several months, her relationship with Andréa began to truly blossom one late night amid a national frenzy. “We had a really strict bedtime, but Andréa would always stay up reading. It was a secret between the two of us,” Zoe explained, smiling. “She started reading aloud to me one night — The Land of Stories was one of her favorites. And we just started bonding.”
Through a common love for storytelling, the two girls realized they had more in common than they expected. “It was an instant connection once we began exploring a new world together,” Andréa explained, referring to the fantastical land of fairytales in The Land of Stories. “As we got closer, we learned to love and accept one another for our differences. Now, she is my best friend, sister, and twin.”
For the next several months, Zoe and Andréa could always be found in the backyard pool splashing away at a game of Marco Polo or watching vintage Disney movies. Grand games of Barbies were played regularly, not to mention the continuous reading marathons under the guise of darkness.
The midnight reading sessions turned into deep conversations lasting hours on end. Whispers floated across the night inside the girls’ room – everything, from childhood stories to future plans, was revealed from one heart to another. “There was definitely a language barrier between us though,” Andréa admitted. “I just didn’t realize Zoe had trouble understanding everything before I really got to know her [through spending so much time together].”
Upon noticing the challenge, Andréa, with the help of her older sister Paulina, became determined to help her host sister truly adjust. The three developed a system to help Zoe improve her English skills using their favorite novels, including Chris Colfer’s beloved fantasy series. The daily routine consisted of reading aloud, looking up vocabulary words, and constant conversation; over time, Zoe’s English grew exponentially.
“But it wasn’t just language,” Andréa said. “Zoe opened herself to a new culture when she took on the challenge – she became a new person. I think this experience is why she understands people so well.”
Despite all that she overcame, Zoe’s past remains hidden under the mask of an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. She can be found strolling down the halls, just the same as any other student. She wears dark blue Converse with her iPad in hand, bobbing her head to pop songs blasting through her mint green metallic headphones. Zoe Sun, back in New York, appears as though she never left.
“It was like I got sucked into a dream in a way,” Zoe said thoughtfully. “But truly, those two years away from home had, in some ways, influenced me.” She began believing in God, for instance, after attending church every Sunday with the Rivets. She learned more about American culture than she ever did from watching old American movies alone, taking in everything from Taylor Swift to the 1989 version of The Little Mermaid.
“Still, no matter what I took with me, it was only a taste of another world,” Zoe explained. “Coming to Great Neck, the scenery was familiar with so many people sharing my culture. It was like returning home. I realized that growing up in my childhood community for so long made it impossible to brush it aside completely, even after spending a great deal of time away. I thought I had forgotten Chinese since speaking only English with my host family. But I didn’t. I’m too molded to be remolded, as I like to say.”
Nonetheless, the glimpse of another way of life sank just close enough to provide a new perspective. “I still think about all of the good parts of my life in Michigan and how I want to incorporate it somehow into my life here,” Zoe added. The relaxed pace of figuring out her interests, for instance, or the loving chaos of seven children that filled the air lingered in her mind.
“I’m a part of this world with a twist,” Zoe remarked. “I know what it’s like outside of this community, like an implant of sorts. I really miss the Rivet’s dynamic and my life in Michigan. But, where I am today suits me – I belong. […] The whole experience let me see things through different lenses instead of being trapped in one place.”
