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The Power of Connecting Online

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By Lim Soo Qiao

On Friday, 25 March 2022, at five o’clock in the afternoon, Dalat would be without students or staff until the week after the next due to something special — spring break. This was a holiday that everyone deserved to have to rest, connect with others, and have fun. 

During spring break, I spent my time getting closer to teachers and classmates who I wasn’t very familiar with by talking to them online. From doing this, I learned the hardships and highlights in their lives. Despite their difficulties, they have found ways to enjoy life and have joyous moments in this harsh time. 

One of the teachers I spoke to online was Ms. Hexen Ong, who shared some part of her story about her journey of faith to me. Thinking I was taking up too much of her time she said to me, “You're not taking too much of my time! I love love love sharing all these with you!” Technology is a blessing because we can communicate with someone when we can’t physically meet them. There are limits to the devices we use, but they give us the emotional closure we need to satisfy the psychological distress we have from the lack of physical contact. 

The pandemic has caused a lot of setbacks in my life because of the limits of social or physical contact with others. There are millions of people affected by the current situation we are in, including the Dalat community. Our community has suffered enormously by pushing back events and students getting ill. The majority of us have barely had a full year of school in person, which is why we turn to technology to get us back on track. 

Spring break was a time for everyone to form new relationships, converse with each other, and return to what used to be the norm three years ago by using technology. 


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