My grandmother is 72 years old. After my grandfather passed away, she lived alone, and we were very worried she would be lonely. We bought her a smartphone. To help her get used to it, I created an OVFRIENDS account for her, telling her it was a “digital notebook” to practice typing and make friends.
One day, she proudly told me she had just made friends with a young girl from England. This girl wanted to learn how to cook Vietnamese food.
Now, every weekend, my grandmother’s small kitchen is filled with laughter. She video calls her young friend in England, patiently guiding her step-by-step through cooking a specialty soup from the Mekong Delta. My grandmother speaks Vietnamese, the girl speaks English, and they understand each other through actions and the help of translation tools.
I realized that OVFRIENDS didn’t just help my grandmother practice typing; it helped her rediscover the joy of caring for others, helping her come full circle to meet her own youthful, energetic self from long ago.