I was born in 1994 in a small town in Vietnam. Surrounded by rice fields, big rivers along Mekong Delta, besides traditional games for rural children, the only entertaining resource I could access to was the small library in my neighbor. A little girl started dreaming of big journeys to witness European countries written in Andersen tales and stories, the US with unique architectures and “strange” people described in Uncle Tom’s cabin. That little girl would never have imagined one day one of her dream journeys can really come true – going to the US for college. And that was the day in December 2015 – I got the US visa for international students to go studying at University of Houston. That day not only makes my dream come true, but also forever …show more content…
Ho Chi Minh City where I stayed for 2 years is only 200 kilometers away from my hometown and everyone there only uses Vietnamese – my mother language. I had no feeling of getting lost or being alone because I knew whenever I need, my home is always there for me to come back, but that can never happen when I am in the US. Expensive air fare, long distance, part-time job, college deadlines, visa status and tons of other concerns always possess my mind and prevent me from coming back home. Much more upset for me than that is about making friend. Friends whom I met in the orientation day did not have the same class with me and I really had no clue to get close to a new classmate other than some greeting words. Besides, in my fresh mind at that time, US people and foreign students with away far different cultures, hobbies, interests really gave me the feeling of being distant. Not to mention that, the lack of English has been one of the harshest obstacles for me to make friends. Further than that, barely understanding fully English lectures with native-speaker professors frustrated me a lot in very first few months in the US. In the first week in the US, I cried almost every night when thinking of my family, financial burden they have to tolerate because of me and all difficulties I have to deal with. Being alone with those fears and …show more content…
I started to volunteer for MVP, join general meetings of a few student organizations. Day by day, I started to have several friends to say “hi, how are you doing?” when walking around the Student Center and some nights enjoying bowling games or movies. Friends, busy school schedule, school events and volunteer events make me become a full-energy and confident girl. Although English is still a problem for me, it is no longer “serious” like before. From one of my roommates, I knew about BSM – Baptist Student Ministry although I am not a Baptism follower. With BSM, no matter which countries you are from, you can always join fun and free activities they organize. Due to BSM, I could enjoy my first Traditional New Year in the US happily with so many new friends from so many other countries. The existence of BSM stopped my concern about where the organization for international students is until Fall 2015 – the first general meeting of International Student Organization – ISO. I believe that somewhere on campus, there must be several students having the same situation with me. They are too shy to go out so I have to do something to take the initiative to break their shells and help them have a happier and more memorable college
I was born in a small village in the outskirts of Uzbekistan. It is one of the poorest and most isolated areas of the country. The economy of the region, as well as of the whole country was supported by the Soviet Union. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan was burdened with high unemployment, rapid inflation, and shattered infrastructure that could not support any economic revival. Most families, especially those in suburbs of the country, were struggling to get by. Consequently, most students in my village could not even dream about going to a university. I was one of those students. However, in 2005, I participated and became one of the finalists of the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program. The program was administered by the State Department of the United States (US); it gave an opportunity to students with outstanding academic record to study in the US high school for a year. At that point, I knew that there was a chance that someday I might be able to go to a university.
As a daughter of immigrants and being an immigrant myself, I knew I had to work hard to become somebody in life to prove that my parents’ struggles were worth every second. My journey began at the age of eight years old, I had to pick up everything and leave my life behind in El Salvador to begin a new one in California. The transition was not easy though what made it possible was learning English and being able to adapt. The idea to continue my education after high school involved my role models who planted in me the importance of education and encouraged me to go through the enrollment process; although there were financial challenges, I have found my way into college.
My ideologies, upbringing and identity play a huge role in setting me apart as an international student in a predominantly large college, consisting of a majority of Americans. Thinking about what led me to actually be here at Syracuse University, away from my home, half way across the globe and combing Mill’s theory, it all comes together and makes sense. A few members of my family received an education abroad in the United States. My family history of people going abroad to study, eventually led my parents and I to decide that I wanted to study in the United States as well. Besides this, several social structures also influenced this decision.
As a student in the small town of Payette, Idaho, I have dreams of exploring what the rest of the world has to offer. There are so many amazing opportunities to be had in the great United States of America, and my life goal is to achieve my fullest potential by taking advantage of those same opportunities. Many of those opportunities though, do not come without a hefty price tag. My dream in life is to graduate from the University of Washington in the rapidly growing city of Seattle.
A few months before all of this I was pleased with my calm life in a local city of Taiwan. I settled there at the age of two with my family, and things were going well so far. Because I lived there for ten years, the longest time that I ever spent living in one place, I had made really good friends and was not looking forward to any significant changes although my mom had told me a long time ago, we might move to USA to settle with our uncle and grandma. My mom also told me that the other reason we move is for a better education and life there but I was not listening at that time. I thought she was just joking around because my brother and I have always expected to have a vacation to other countries. By the time I finished my first year of middle school I knew that this was nearly impossible. My family was already packing up, cleaning out the house, and reserving four airplane tickets to USA.
It is my memory of first year in the United States. Back then, I was a between 16 and 17 years old girl who would be called, ‘fob,’ which means ‘fresh off the boat.’ I was quite shy, not fluent in English, exotic looking and nervous but excited at the same time. Coming to the U.S. all by myself, leaving behind familiar culture, friends and family was quite challenging at such a young age, but I was all ready to endure hardship and obstacles of language barrier, cultural difference and loneliness. However, the trouble that pushed me into the well of suffering that I could not see the bottom came from the most unexpected source. It was my host family; they were white with a middle-class background, living in a rural area. They seemed like nice and friendly people at first. They brought me and my roommate to various events and places where I can learn American culture, helped me learn English, taught us the basic manner accepted in the U.S. and even celebrated my birthday. Nevertheless, they had a contradicting side as well. The family had eccentrically strict house rules which gave us heavy house chore, and eventually it led them to treat my roommate and me like housekeepers in the
Seven years ago, I moved to United States. Like anyone who had welcomed changes in their life, I had a hard time dealing with my new situation. It’s very difficult to fit in. In my homeland, life is harsh with the great gap of poor and rich, but my family got everything. Our lives were plentiful. We were not prepared to face the changes and challenges in the United States. My mother didn’t know how to get a job or how my two older sisters would get into college. It was not the same life we had in the Philippines. We left our homeland while my two older sisters were college students. My parents didn’t know how to help them to pursue their future here so my parents decided to let my sisters return home to finish their education. As they graduated with degrees and awards, the truth is, I sincerely respect and admire my sisters dearly, but I don’t want to end up like my sisters who finished college with so numerous awards and can’t get the job she wants because her degree is from another country.
The gleaming sun caressed my squinting face as I glanced up at the magnificent blue sky decorated with white, fluffy clouds that resembled white cotton candy. I was outside exploring the vast backyard. It was only my first morning in the United States. My stepfather, my siblings, and I had just arrived from the Philippines to our new home in Rhode Island seven hours ago from the T. F. Green Airport at around midnight. Last night, was my first time seeing my mother after a year has gone. I was finally able to live with my parents! Since I was two years old, my grandparents had raised my siblings and I. When my biological father had divorced my mother, my mother and stepfather later sought work in the Middle East to support our private education.
When I was young, I never expected to live such a lit life in America. I was born in Laos which is a small country in the Southern part of Asia. My life was slow and my family didn’t have much. Then one day my mom met my stepdad in a bar and the next thing I knew, we move to America. My first impression of America was that it was way different than where I came from. I saw snow for the first time and never felt something so cold. My early life in America was a struggle, but as I grew up, I started understanding what my purpose was. I went from nothing to having great times with great friends, having cash flow, and riding motorcycles.
Constant repetition of subject matter may be well suited for something later tested on to great extent, but in a consecutive slew of papers over the course of a month or so is counterproductive. Looking past that irritant, delving into the world of American society and customs proved to be a fabulous departure from the expected analysis piece of informational writing. It is apparent that, through the numerous trials our country has endured, something as fundamental like the American Dream can lose a definitive meaning. Consequently, the American dream of today regards life with a tepid, watchful eye. Contemporary American society has shown that fluctuations in business, schooling, and culture must be expected and braced for like a regular natural disaster. With an in-depth comparison of The Testing lifestyle and the United States in the categories of employment, education, and energy (health) care, it was proven that living in the modern U.S. regarding those categories is as dangerous as living in a post apocalyptic, manic world. Conclusively, it was enjoyable to make the plausible analogies between real life and the story: referring to government deception and academy consternation. This lighthearted observational piece has truly made it clear how blessed Americans are, even with our struggles. And so, to all of those hopeful immigrants far, far, away, I wish you luck in your travels to the best nation on
Coming out of my senior high school was one of the most difficult tasks I 've been given up to this point in my life. I was overwhelmed, excited, sad, busy, and uncertain of the near impending future. The past 13 years of my life I had been studying, practicing, playing, and working my way towards a brighter future. I could see the future in front of me, it was as if I could reach out and touch it. It was almost like getting a shot at the doctors, I knew it was what was best for me but I was terrified anyway. But I pushed aside my fears and on August 8, 2015, I set foot on a college campus, my home for the next four years. I knew why I was there though; I came to college in order to channel the love I have for my country into the motivation necessary to take the next step up the ladder towards a constitutional law degree, a degree I’ll use to protect this country and the people who reside in it. But to truly understand why I came to college, I have to start at the beginning.
You’ve heard the advice before “get involved, join a club”, at the University of Montana (UM) we are a very large commuter college, involvement is a good way to develop relationships with other students and to create a sense of community for yourself and others.
Even before arriving to the United States, the fear I felt was not having the familiarity of home (St. Lucia). Moving to the U.S meant that I had to start my life all over again. This time it would be without the unwavering support of my family and friends. Whether I succeeded or failed in school was entirely up to me. It wa...
My family and I moved to United States in 1998 from Albania. My parents believed that I and my sister would get a better education here and also it would be useful and interesting to learn another language and its culture. Considering I didn’t speak a word of English I was very scared about starting high school. I was scared about fitting in with the other kids, I was scared about not being able to understand them, and not sure how my culture would impact the way how I looked at things.
As an incoming college freshman student, homesickness was something I experienced first-hand and learned to cope with. Even though I am only two hours away from home, it was still hard getting used to the fact that I could not just go home whenever I wanted. In the article, “Homesickness and Adjustment in University Students”, prevention strategies were given to provide college students with coping methods. The prevention strategy that stood out most to me was initiating contacts prior to the first day of school. During some of my summer visits, I had the opportunity to meet some of my future classmates. I remained in contact with a few of them over the course of summer. When the first day finally rolled around, I felt a sense of relief knowing that I had already made some friends. In my revised response, I explained three prevention strategies that I found to be the most useful. I was able to mention the importance of self-compassion, which is ultimately in my opinion, the most important element in overcoming homesickness. I also mentioned how adjusting to college life just takes time. This seems to be how the majority of college students overcome feelings of homesickness. After reading the article, it just made me realize how many students are actually affected by homesickness. Sometimes I had the feeling that I was the only one struggling, but with prevention and treatment,