??? Anne Zhang ????zhangy49@gmail.com ????“WHAT makes you happy?” ????This is the question Lorena Tovar repeatedly asked people during a two-day event held in Shenzhen in early June. ????The 23-year-old Colombian-American was running a campaign, in which she and her team brought up the question about happiness to passersby, and asked them to write down the answers on post-it notes that were pasted on cardboard boxes as an art installation. ????“I want to bring happiness to people and make them realize how easy it is to live one’s life happily,” Tovar said.???? ????Happiness is simply ????about sharing ????Tovar was born in a poor village in Bogota, Colombia, and moved to the United States at age 17. She experienced the big differences between the two countries, but believes it’s not material wealth that makes people happy. ????When Tovar grew up in Colombia, her parents were working in the United States. She said the parents’ hard work ensured her life was more privileged than her friends’ lives. ????“My dad always bought me toys, clothes and other things from the United States, and my mom sent me to a recognized school in Bogota,” Tovar said. “However, I was only happy when I could share my toys and things with my friends.” ????Spending her first 17 years in the Colombian village, Tovar made lasting friendships and learned to share and give, and to value things, like family, compassion and responsibility. ????She said people tend to be less happy nowadays because they pay too much attention to earning money and buying bigger houses and better cars. In her eyes, happiness is about sharing and the discovery of simple and beautiful things and moments, such as sunrises, music, smiling and talking with family and friends.???? ????Bringing happiness ????to Shenzhen ????The campaign Tovar launched in Shenzhen is part of the Happy Post Project initiated by Mario Chamorro in the United States a few years ago. The project is a social experiment to spread happiness around the world. ????“We believe that happiness is contagious, empowers people and generates positive social change,” Tovar said. ????The project has been held in more than 19 countries including Colombia, France, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates and Japan, but it has never reached China. ????When Tovar came to Shenzhen in May to visit her family who has been living in the city for nearly five years, she thought the city would be an ideal place to hold China’s first “Happy Post Project” event. ????Tovar said she’s interested in knowing how Chinese people perceive happiness, but had never expected Chinese to be as outgoing as Americans in such projects. ????“If I ask the question here, I guess people would freak out or not be open to answering it,” Tovar said. “But I want to take the challenge to see what their reactions are.” ????To her surprise, the campaign at Shenzhen University drew a lot of attention and she collected 149 post-it notes in three hours. “People’s reaction to this small activity was amazing,” Tovar said. “I can call this event a ‘success,’ because we met new people, we laughed, we learned, and we spread happiness.” ????A note “My son makes me happy” written by a Chinese father was Tovar’s favorite response because she saw the man was smiling while writing it. “That wasn’t just an answer,” Tovar said. “It became a meaningful statement.” ????The campaign was also held at the Green Oasis School in Futian District, where Tovar got 180 post-it notes from the students. ????Tovar did encounter some bureaucratic hurdles while organizing the event in Shenzhen. It was difficult to get permission from the university, she said. ????Tovar and her team approached several university departments and eventually got permission from the person who is in charge of student organizations. ????But when they started to organize the campaign outside the university’s international students’ dormitory, a campus security guard stopped them and asked for officially written permission. And it took them about one hour to explain to the guard what the campaign was about. ????Despite the minor frustration, Tovar said it has been an experience for her learning about Chinese people and their culture. ????Open to new people and cultures ????Tovar always enjoys meeting people with various cultural backgrounds. Moving to the United States has offered her such opportunities. ????She has been actively involved in several organizations and activities in her school years, including the Hispanic Student Association and the Seminole State Volunteer — a program teaching people how to be a community service leader. ????Tovar said she has become more open to new things and knowledge after working and studying with people from different parts of the world in the United States. She appreciates everyone who has been part of her life and made it more colorful. ????“Each person I meet contributes something different to my life,” she said. “Each person is a new connection that creates a new memory, and good or bad experience; that is what is magic about people.” ????Tovar is now studying at the University of Central Florida. Her major is social science and her minor is cultural anthropology, psychology and interpersonal communication. ????Although Tovar had only been in Shenzhen for two weeks, she said she liked the city for its clean environment and hoped Shenzhen would become a city full of projects that motivate and inspire people to think about the world around them. ????Anne Zhang ????zhangy49@gmail.com ????“WHAT makes you happy?” ????This is the question Lorena Tovar repeatedly asked people during a two-day event held in Shenzhen in early June. ????The 23-year-old Colombian-American was running a campaign, in which she and her team brought up the question about happiness to passersby, and asked them to write down the answers on post-it notes that were pasted on cardboard boxes as an art installation. ????“I want to bring happiness to people and make them realize how easy it is to live one’s life happily,” Tovar said.???? ????Happiness is simply ????about sharing ????Tovar was born in a poor village in Bogota, Colombia, and moved to the United States at age 17. She experienced the big differences between the two countries, but believes it’s not material wealth that makes people happy. ????When Tovar grew up in Colombia, her parents were working in the United States. She said the parents’ hard work ensured her life was more privileged than her friends’ lives. ????“My dad always bought me toys, clothes and other things from the United States, and my mom sent me to a recognized school in Bogota,” Tovar said. “However, I was only happy when I could share my toys and things with my friends.” ????Spending her first 17 years in the Colombian village, Tovar made lasting friendships and learned to share and give, and to value things, like family, compassion and responsibility. ????She said people tend to be less happy nowadays because they pay too much attention to earning money and buying bigger houses and better cars. In her eyes, happiness is about sharing and the discovery of simple and beautiful things and moments, such as sunrises, music, smiling and talking with family and friends.????? ????Bringing happiness ????to Shenzhen ????The campaign Tovar launched in Shenzhen is part of the Happy Post Project initiated by Mario Chamorro in the United States a few years ago. The project is a social experiment to spread happiness around the world. ????“We believe that happiness is contagious, empowers people and generates positive social change,” Tovar said. ????The project has been held in more than 19 countries including Colombia, France, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates and Japan, but it has never reached China. ????When Tovar came to Shenzhen in May to visit her family who has been living in the city for nearly five years, she thought the city would be an ideal place to hold China’s first “Happy Post Project” event. ????Tovar said she’s interested in knowing how Chinese people perceive happiness, but had never expected Chinese to be as outgoing as Americans in such projects. ????“If I ask the question here, I guess people would freak out or not be open to answering it,” Tovar said. “But I want to take the challenge to see what their reactions are.” ????To her surprise, the campaign at Shenzhen University drew a lot of attention and she collected 149 post-it notes in three hours. “People’s reaction to this small activity was amazing,” Tovar said. “I can call this event a ‘success,’ because we met new people, we laughed, we learned, and we spread happiness.” ????A note “My son makes me happy” written by a Chinese father was Tovar’s favorite response because she saw the man was smiling while writing it. “That wasn’t just an answer,” Tovar said. “It became a meaningful statement.” ????The campaign was also held at the Green Oasis School in Futian District, where Tovar got 180 post-it notes from the students. ????Tovar did encounter some bureaucratic hurdles while organizing the event in Shenzhen. It was difficult to get permission from the university, she said. ????Tovar and her team approached several university departments and eventually got permission from the person who is in charge of student organizations. ????But when they started to organize the campaign outside the university’s international students’ dormitory, a campus security guard stopped them and asked for officially written permission. And it took them about one hour to explain to the guard what the campaign was about. ????Despite the minor frustration, Tovar said it has been an experience for her learning about Chinese people and their culture. ????Open to new people and cultures ????Tovar always enjoys meeting people with various cultural backgrounds. Moving to the United States has offered her such opportunities. ????She has been actively involved in several organizations and activities in her school years, including the Hispanic Student Association and the Seminole State Volunteer — a program teaching people how to be a community service leader. ????Tovar said she has become more open to new things and knowledge after working and studying with people from different parts of the world in the United States. She appreciates everyone who has been part of her life and made it more colorful. ????“Each person I meet contributes something different to my life,” she said. “Each person is a new connection that creates a new memory, and good or bad experience; that is what is magic about people.” ????Tovar is now studying at the University of Central Florida. Her major is social science and her minor is cultural anthropology, psychology and interpersonal communication. ????Although Tovar had only been in Shenzhen for two weeks, she said she liked the city for its clean environment and hoped Shenzhen would become a city full of projects that motivate and inspire people to think about the world around them. ????Anne Zhang ????zhangy49@gmail.com ????“WHAT makes you happy?” ????This is the question Lorena Tovar repeatedly asked people during a two-day event held in Shenzhen in early June. ????The 23-year-old Colombian-American was running a campaign, in which she and her team brought up the question about happiness to passersby, and asked them to write down the answers on post-it notes that were pasted on cardboard boxes as an art installation. ????“I want to bring happiness to people and make them realize how easy it is to live one’s life happily,” Tovar said. ????Happiness is simply ????about sharing ????Tovar was born in a poor village in Bogota, Colombia, and moved to the United States at age 17. She experienced the big differences between the two countries, but believes it’s not material wealth that makes people happy. ????When Tovar grew up in Colombia, her parents were working in the United States. She said the parents’ hard work ensured her life was more privileged than her friends’ lives. ????“My dad always bought me toys, clothes and other things from the United States, and my mom sent me to a recognized school in Bogota,” Tovar said. “However, I was only happy when I could share my toys and things with my friends.” ????Spending her first 17 years in the Colombian village, Tovar made lasting friendships and learned to share and give, and to value things, like family, compassion and responsibility. ????She said people tend to be less happy nowadays because they pay too much attention to earning money and buying bigger houses and better cars. In her eyes, happiness is about sharing and the discovery of simple and beautiful things and moments, such as sunrises, music, smiling and talking with family and friends. ????Bringing happiness ????to Shenzhen ????The campaign Tovar launched in Shenzhen is part of the Happy Post Project initiated by Mario Chamorro in the United States a few years ago. The project is a social experiment to spread happiness around the world. ????“We believe that happiness is contagious, empowers people and generates positive social change,” Tovar said. ????The project has been held in more than 19 countries including Colombia, France, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates and Japan, but it has never reached China. ????When Tovar came to Shenzhen in May to visit her family who has been living in the city for nearly five years, she thought the city would be an ideal place to hold China’s first “Happy Post Project” event. ????Tovar said she’s interested in knowing how Chinese people perceive happiness, but had never expected Chinese to be as outgoing as Americans in such projects. ????“If I ask the question here, I guess people would freak out or not be open to answering it,” Tovar said. “But I want to take the challenge to see what their reactions are.” ????To her surprise, the campaign at Shenzhen University drew a lot of attention and she collected 149 post-it notes in three hours. “People’s reaction to this small activity was amazing,” Tovar said. “I can call this event a ‘success,’ because we met new people, we laughed, we learned, and we spread happiness.” ????A note “My son makes me happy” written by a Chinese father was Tovar’s favorite response because she saw the man was smiling while writing it. “That wasn’t just an answer,” Tovar said. “It became a meaningful statement.” ????The campaign was also held at the Green Oasis School in Futian District, where Tovar got 180 post-it notes from the students. ????Tovar did encounter some bureaucratic hurdles while organizing the event in Shenzhen. It was difficult to get permission from the university, she said. ????Tovar and her team approached several university departments and eventually got permission from the person who is in charge of student organizations. ????But when they started to organize the campaign outside the university’s international students’ dormitory, a campus security guard stopped them and asked for officially written permission. And it took them about one hour to explain to the guard what the campaign was about. ????Despite the minor frustration, Tovar said it has been an experience for her learning about Chinese people and their culture. ????Open to new people and cultures ????Tovar always enjoys meeting people with various cultural backgrounds. Moving to the United States has offered her such opportunities. ????She has been actively involved in several organizations and activities in her school years, including the Hispanic Student Association and the Seminole State Volunteer — a program teaching people how to be a community service leader. ????Tovar said she has become more open to new things and knowledge after working and studying with people from different parts of the world in the United States. She appreciates everyone who has been part of her life and made it more colorful. ????“Each person I meet contributes something different to my life,” she said. “Each person is a new connection that creates a new memory, and good or bad experience; that is what is magic about people.” ????Tovar is now studying at the University of Central Florida. Her major is social science and her minor is cultural anthropology, psychology and interpersonal communication. ????Although Tovar had only been in Shenzhen for two weeks, she said she liked the city for its clean environment and hoped Shenzhen would become a city full of projects that motivate and inspire people to think about the world around them. | 