The document details the author's journey with technology from early childhood experiences with plastic computers to the present day. It describes how various technologies helped the author communicate with friends and family over long distances as her family moved frequently. Early experiences with computer games helped develop her skills, and gaining email access allowed her to stay connected to her best friend after moving across country. Subsequent technologies like instant messaging, texting, and social media further enabled her to maintain important relationships despite physical separation. The author credits her proficiency with communication technologies for cultivating skills that benefit her personal and professional life.

1. From a Plastic Computer to the Real Deal: My Road to
Technology
My road to technology started when I was just a pipsqueak
playing with a multi-colored, plastic, play computer. I would
pound the keys with my chubby fingers and giggle when lights
flashed or a trill of music played. Did I know what I was doing?
Not quite. But nevertheless, it was my first technological step.
Then, at the age of five or six, my parents installed a Richard
Scary game on an old computer in the playroom. My brother and
I were hooked. We would laugh at the silly characters until our
bellies hurt and repeat the phrases over and over. “Let’s put a
bandaid on it!” In fact, that phrase is still heard around my
house to this day, my mom does the best impression.
As our minds developed, we craved more advanced games. I
loved playing Zoo Tycoon and creating my own little zoo where
dinosaurs and tigers lived in the same pen and there were
countless cotton candy vendors. Along with the fun, my
computer skills advanced. I learned to type in the names of my
animals and how to right click. Slowly but surely, I was
becoming familiar with the computer and more comfortable
navigating it. I loved to play games on the computer but it
wasn’t until a big transition in my life that I began to use
technology for the main purpose I use it today.
Fast forward a few years when at the age of 10, my family
moved across the country from San Antonio, Texas to Lake
Bluff, Illinois. It all seemed very exciting, but there was a hitch
in the plan. My best friend, Lauren, was not coming with us. My
parents put their heads together and decided I was old enough
for my very own email address and computer in my bedroom so
that we could communicate whenever we
wanted. [email protected]. This dorky little email address

2. became the connection to my best friend and jump-started the
most important part of my technological life.
As I started to settle into my new life, I met new friends.
However, my best friend Lauren was always just an email away.
We were able to maintain our friendship and have even visited
each other multiple times. This was largely due to our ability to
communicate via email as well as technologies that exist today.
For me, the draw to technology is centered around the ability to
connect and communicate. Whether it’s communication between
best friends on the other side of the country, or new friends on
the other side of town. With that all-powerful email address, I
gained a new degree of freedom. I didn’t have to bug my mom
to let me use the phone and call my new friend, Justine, so that
I could ask her if she wanted to be a lady bug with me for
Halloween. Instead, I could just shoot her an email! I loved
having the power. And I wanted more. All of a sudden, Instant
Messenger became all the rage. I wanted in, but my parents
were wary of a young girl and the creeps on the internet. So I
made a PowerPoint on all the reasons why I should be allowed
to get instant messenger. My main selling point was that it
would improve my typing. As I look back now, I know this to
be true. My typing went to finger poking each letter to touch-
typing and not looking at the keyboard and typing with ease. I
was able to relay messages about my day to my friends in a
couple seconds. Communication at the drop of a hat is such a
wonderful thing and it influenced my friendships greatly.
Along with the development of my technological skills came
improvement in my social skills. I learned to be open with my
friends and family and talk things out instead of becoming
frustrated and picking a fight. For instance, I remember having
a disagreement with my brother, Mark, and going into my room
to type up a letter explaining why and how he hurt my feelings.
I printed it out and slipped it under his door. Within 20 minutes
I had a response letter pop under my door and all was well and

3. forgiven. Technology led me to be a better communicator not
only digitally but in person as well. I learned to express my
feelings comfortably and am therefore able to keep friendships
open, honest, and strong. This skill would come in handy when
yet another friendship would require long distance
communication.
Once again, my parents announced that a move was in the cards
for us, this time to California. As with the earlier move, I had
important friendships to maintain, especially with my best
friend, Justine. Luckily, a new form of communication opened
its doors to me. I was given a huge, clunky flip phone that could
do two things, make phone calls and send and receive text
messages. But that’s really all that I needed. Through the power
of our cell phones, particularly texting, Justine and I have
remained best friends, even though she lives thousands of miles
away. I believe a large part of this success is due to all the
forms of communication we have available to us. We email, use
social media, text, talk on the phone, Skype, and even write
physical letters from time to time. Our long-distance friendship
has reinforced my abilities as a communicator because of the
necessity of successful communication to keep the friendship
going.
All of the technological skills I possess today have their roots
in the skills I learned as a kid playing computer games, surfing
the web, or IMing my friends. Communication comes into play
in more ways than just texting a friend or emailing a link to a
video to your mom. These days, the number one way to contact
a professor is to send them an email. The ability to compose a
professional email is an important skill to have and one I’ve
practiced over the course of my educational career. In order to
send that email as well as be able to keep up with notes in class,
it’s also necessary to be proficient in typing. If I hadn’t
convinced my mom to allow me to download instant messenger,
I might not have become as confident of a typer as I am. I’ve

4. also learned how to navigate the internet in order to research
topics for papers in school. But I would have struggled with this
had I not played on Disney.com or been allowed to surf
AmericanGirl.com for the new doll I wanted. Those skills
carried over into my adult life and have benefitted me more than
I can imagine.
When people think of the word technology, they often think of
writing code or big fancy computers. But for me, it’s main
influence is creating my connection to others. Technology keeps
me connected to the world and for that reason, I am grateful that
I started banging those keys on that plastic computer so many
years ago.
My name is Wanjun Liu. I came to the US with my family when
I was 15 years old. I am the elder sister among my three
siblings, a little sister and two little brothers. My little sister is
one year younger than me and she attends UC Davis as well. I
came from Oakland, a city with a perception of dangerous and
my hometown is Zhongshan, a small but beautiful city in
Guangdong Province. I am bilingual in Chinese. Interestingly, I
am a Chinese but not a big fan of Chinese food and I like
Korean cuisine. My major is managerial Economic. I like my
major and I am passionate about it. In the future I hope to find a
job in an accounting firm. Writing has always been my
weakness and I am taking this course not only because of it is
mandatory but also I hope to gain confidence in my writing.
In the narrative, “From a Plastic Computer to the Real Deal: My
Road to Technology,” the author tells us that technology is not
all about the complicated things but it is a form of aiding
communication between people. The author explains the various
ways in which technology enabled her communicated with
friends, family, and even professors through email and other
forms of communication. The author by telling the story is
trying to show people that apart from other things, technology
has made it easy for people to communicate with each other

5. irrespective of the distance where people are with each other.
One of the quotes that best captures the reason for the narrative
is where the author says that they were able to maintain
friendship through using “email, social media, text, talk on the
phone, and Skype”. This shows that technology can be used to
enhance communication. The author also indicates that
technology can be used to enhance his/her educational career
such as “be proficient in typing” and “research topic for
papers”. One of the effectiveness of the narrative is the use of
examples to show how indeed technology has aided in
communication which is the role of the narrative.