The age range of people she taught was about 18 to 49 and consisted mostly of hotel workers, restaurant employees, tour guides and beauty stylists.

However, she shares a special bond with one of her students, professional musician Hongyan Zhang.

Through the years, the two have stayed in touch by "phone calls, snail mail and e-mail," Yorra said.

"We just became extremely close," Yorra said. "She's really like a daughter to us."

Volunteering in China
Yorra, a former teacher, was one of 26 volunteers with the Peace Corps scattered throughout China in the early 1990s. She was stationed in Beijing. Her time spent volunteering in China was the "most rewarding adventure of my life."

When she received breaks from her tutoring, Yorra traveled to different parts of the country with her husband.

"We fell in love with the country, the people and especially the students," she said.

During the couple's time in China, they stayed at a hotel with a small refrigerator. The room had no kitchen, so they dined at restaurants often.

Yorra's husband was a guest lecturer on various subjects while she tutored English and also assisted with the English lessons.

'Astonishing' musical skill
Zhang is a top Chinese musician who has played at various venues across the world, including Carnegie Hall in New York.

Hongyan plays the pipa, a guitar-like instrument. The four-stringed musical tool has been played by the Chinese for about 2,000 years.

Yorra said Hongyan's "skill is just astonishing. She has amazing charm, beauty and sweetness."

Hongyan began playing the pipa when she was just 7 years old. At the age of 10, her father sent her to a selective music academy associated with China's Central Conservatory of Music.

In addition to being a famous pipa player, she is an accomplished music educator.

Her latest album, titled "Ambush on All Sides," was added to the Chinese collection at the U.S. Library of Congress in November.

Staying in touch
After their trips to China for the tutoring, Yorra and her husband went back to visit twice in the mid-1990s.

Last year was their first face- to-face visit since 1997 in Beijing. Hongyan visited the Yorras with her husband after spending time in New York.

Hongyan has applied for a green card and hopes to spend more time in the states in the future.

A worldwide tour could bring her to America more frequently, according to Yorra.

Hongyan said getting to know Yorra has been a "wonderful thing."

This year, Hongyan traveled to the United States on her own and returned to Beijing earlier this month.