Volunteers rally to help girl from the grasslands

An unexpected family

A few days later, Geru Tsomao's real-life dream came true when she was adopted as the gan child (the Chinese version of a godchild) by a husband and wife, who have long volunteered with our group.

They had agreed to financially support her education, including university. As they got to know her, they came to truly love her.

"We didn't have a child. She didn't have parents," said her adoptive mother, Chen, who prefers to use only her surname because she wishes "to remain low-key".

"So, together, we've become a family. We're so happy to have a daughter."

Geru Tsomao said:"I didn't have a family when I arrived in Beijing. I never imagined I'd meet my gan parents here. They really treat me like their own daughter. I'm so lucky to have them."

One thing I'd wondered is how she felt, since the fact she didn't have a mom or dad kept coming up in her presence while we underwent hospital protocols. Her grandparents were too old and ill to travel to Beijing. So, Tseringben served as Geru Tsomao's legal guardian until an Edgar Snow Newsroom member took over the responsibility.

Days later, Tseringben sent me a seemingly random video of a couple of Tibetan men lobbing dozens of sacks that clacked with coal. He later explained that Chen and her husband had bought 50 bags of the fuel for Geru Tsomao's grandparents, as it snows all but six weeks a year on the tundra.

The couple helped take care of her after Tseringben had to return to Qumarleb for work, since the girl had to stay for an unexpected follow-up surgery.

They took her to their rural courtyard, an amusement park, the main Olympic stadiums and the Forbidden City.

Chen helped Geru Tsomao keep up with her classes online while in Beijing, and has sent extra lessons and designed quizzes for her since she has returned to Qumarleb.

"I hope she doesn't hate me for that," Chen joked.

I took Geru Tsomao to the Great Wall and Beijing Zoo, where she filmed every animal because she had never seen or heard of almost any of them.

She was enraptured when I explained why parrots are called "echo birds" in Chinese and showed her videos of the brilliantly colored creatures imitating human speech as we stood in front of their enclosures. She had no idea such things existed－or could.

Other friends took her to a classical music performance at the National Center for the Performing Arts and to a wax museum.

"I never thought I'd realize my dreams of visiting the Forbidden City and Great Wall," Geru Tsomao said.

"I don't have words for how I felt when I saw them. I'll never forget it."