There have been times in all of our lives that are moments of sheer excitement. I was in my home office writing while Ginger patiently waited for the two of us to play. It was early evening, around 5 or 6 pm on the 14^th. I was working on an article. Suddenly, Ginger sprinted upstairs and went to the front door. The doorbell hadn’t rung, but Ginger would hear the proverbial pin drop.

At almost 82, I didn’t sprint anywhere. When I reached the front door, the mail lady stood with a large package. I knew Ti Ti had sent my birthday gift and hoped it would arrive by January 20^th. I was delighted. Ginger watched me begin to open the box.

This is the backstory. Ti Ti fled Yangon, Myanmar, where she was taking classes at Gusto University, to Bangkok, Thailand, a year ago. Her parents live near Inle Lake and planned to visit her. Her mother, Moh Moh, emailed me to ask if they could bring something from Myanmar for my birthday. I replied that a couple of years ago, when Ti Ti was attempting to get a student visa, she knitted a blue, yellow, and white scarf for me. When she arrived in Chicago, it was to be her gift to me. I planned to wear the same shirt I wore a decade before when Ti Ti and I planned Scrabble.

Unfortunately, Ti Ti was turned down by the same person at the US Embassy in Yangon on all three attempts to get a student visa. In the past several years, I have attempted to contact the embassy, the State Department, and others about Ti Ti’s situation. I have all the documents regarding the interviewer's questions and Ti Ti’s replies to the three interviews. I tried several times to contact the chargé d'affaires at the embassy. The gatekeeper wouldn’t allow me to speak to the chargé d'affaires or give her my emails each time I requested that she did. The gatekeeper, on my last attempt, didn’t even respond.

While I haven’t given up, Ti Ti is working in Bangkok and taking classes at Gusto University online. Ti Ti also took the last online class that I taught before I retired from teaching. Talk about my sheer joy in being able to teach my granddaughter.

When Moh Moh asked whether I wanted anything, I replied that I didn't know whether the blue, yellow, and white scarf was still somewhere in their home. I told Moh Moh not to mention my request for that gift from Ti Ti. If it had become lost, Ti Ti would have been hurt. As it turned out, Moh Moh and Ti Ti’s father took it to Ti Ti when they visited her in Bangkok.

So, the box that had just arrived contained the scarf Ti Ti made and a gift she bought in Bangkok recently. This is a video of opening my birthday gifts. Ginger was as excited as I was. It took nearly two minutes to open the box.

I got Ti Ti’s first gift out. Ginger couldn’t understand why it was taking so long not only to open the box but also to open the gift.

The box was taped and retaped, and the wood carving was taped. Finally, I reached into the box and discovered another gift. It wasn’t my scarf that Ti Ti had made. It, too, was wrapped up. I hadn’t known about the third birthday gift. It was a light blue scarf, which Ginger also really liked.

Finally, we got the gift that Ti Ti had knitted.

Ginger went bananas with the scarf that Ti Ti knitted.

Ti Ti also wrote a lovely note that accompanied her gifts.

I love Ti Ti. Having grandchildren is the best part of aging. Now, she has heard me mention my mantra an endless number of times, “It is in giving that we get.” So, when I wrote to her that Ginger and I had received her gifts, I asked Ti Ti who was happier, the giver or the receiver. She replied, “It means a lot to know the gifts made you happy. As for who is happier, I’d say it’s a tie! Seeing you delighted makes my heart so full, and I couldn’t ask for more.”

Generally, it is true both the giver and the receiver gain from any gift. However, on this occasion, it is a three-way tie. Ti Ti, me, and Ginger all benefited.

Before the recent presidential election, I made a video. I provided copies of all the documents and emails regarding the three attempts that Ti Ti had made to get a student visa at the US Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar. After Vice President Harris won the election, I figured I would fill out a privacy document that goes along with my request to talk to her about Ti Ti’s situation. However, she didn’t win. Therefore, asking her for help and not winning would have been improper and lacked care for her personal situation. I waited until near the end of her time as Vice President.

My Congressman, Rep. Mrvan, would ensure that my material would be delivered to her office. Someone would have to sign that they received it. Nonetheless, it doesn’t guarantee that Ms. Harris sees it, but it is like flagging an email. Rep. Mrvan sent several other people, including the chargé d'affaires, to the US Embassy in Yangon. In that situation, the gatekeeper never gave the chargé d'affaires my email. I did get an email from the chargé d'affaires, who said the gatekeeper informed her about my concerns. That email is also included in my documents for Ms. Harris.

Ms. Harris can’t grant Ti Ti and a student visa. However, I wanted her to explain to the chargé d'affaires and her staff that they mistreated Ti Ti three times. The only reason that Ti Ti was rejected was that the interviewer was white and Ti Ti was Asian. Interestingly, Ms. Harris is an Asian American. Racism isn’t fully understood unless that person faced racism in his or her past. It should be noted that the gatekeeper is also white.

Now, all the interviews at our embassy for student visas are recorded. I would not want to be any of the three white staff members at our embassy. If Ti Ti doesn’t ever get a student visa, having Ms. Harris rattle her saber with the embassy staff, Ti Ti has at least helped other students receive better treatment than she received.

So, this essay is about Ti Ti and her PaPa Al. It is merely our story. However, all Americans need to explore the issue of racism in America. It is inane that some groups view themselves as superior to other groups. In reality, there isn’t a list of races. We all evolved over the millennia from one race, the human race. And the human race evolved millions of years ago. Apes, chimpanzees, monkeys, and the eight other human species comprise our family tree.

All these species, from the apes to us, evolved from a common ancestor. One would have thought that some ethical norms would have evolved with the evolution of human beings. Nevertheless, we don’t think about ethical choices when push comes to shove.