–by Senior Blogger Ashley Zhou
Time has fled so fast, and suddenly it’s graduation season. I’ve been in the United States for almost three years. I have experienced both the happiest moments and the hardest times. If I can use a simple phrase to describe what America has taught me over the past three years, I will say, “America has taught me to ‘grow up.'”
I remembered when I first got out of the plane after a twelve-hour flight. I was so happy and excited to meet my first host family. But, things didn’t go as well as I thought. The lady in the little cell asked me about the signature on my I-20. I had no idea what was wrong with it, but something was. So, to put it simply, I was brought to a sealed room with people who looked extremely desperate in it. I was scared and didn’t know what to do. I didn’t have an American SIM card, so I had no way to contact my host family and let them know I was detained. So, I did a stupid thing and texted my mom. It was four o’clock in the morning in China, and my mom was worried to death. After waiting for like 20 minutes, they figured out what was going on with my I-20 and let me go. Nothing happened to me, and I met with my host family smoothly. In the evening, I got a message from my dad. He asked me how I was doing and said something I would never forget, “Baby, if you ever encounter something like this in the future, tell me, then we can figure out what to do. Don’t tell your mom. She will be worried, and this is not her fault. She doesn’t know about these situations, and she can’t do anything but be worried about you.” I felt so guilty for letting my mom worry about me. But this is what all mothers do; they worry and worry and worry. So, the second time I got into the secondary room upon arrival in a US airport, I didn’t say anything but let my family know I arrived safely. I’ve learned how to protect my family.
As we grow up, we see other people and ourselves in different lights. We are getting to know more about ourselves and have a more clear idea about who we want to be in the future. What I want to say is that in America, everyone’s talent is valued. There are artists, athletes, politicians, actors, writers, bookworms, scientists, musicians, and multipotentialites (elites who have multiple skills and potentials) in our school. They can be extroverts or introverts, and that doesn’t really matter. Even the slightest advantage in one person can be enlarged and appreciated. It sounds so easy a concept, but it is so hard to achieve and once achieved, it is actually amazing. I wonder so many times why my poor Chinese peers have to live a different life. Parents don’t understand that behind the ruthless and meaningless competitions between grades, their kids’ talents have been depraved.
Human beings tend to bully the weak and fear the strong. This is a universal phenomenon. But, I also have learned that this is totally wrong. Nobody should ever think or act this way. Being kind doesn’t mean being weak, and being rude doesn’t mean being strong. I hope everyone thinks the best of everyone. I guess this is called maturity.
These are some precious lessons I’ve learned from Ms. America, and I am sure there’s more to learn about growing up.
–Edited by Jordan King
ironment, the nature, the forests everywhere, the public transportation of the Czech Republic. But, some international students, really latch on to their new world. A friend of mine, Matouš Prokopec, was an international student in Canada, and he said: “I liked my host family more than my real one.” He absolutely fell in love with everything in that country as well as falling in love with his host family. This year, a wonderful person, Rosa Gillet, came to our school. She answered the question regarding what she likes about this program, with, “I like being in a new family because it allows me to get to know others’ life and culture.”
Let’s start with Europe because it is still closer to me. Countries in Europe are very old. There were many wars in Europe’s past, yet a lot of culture was saved. We can find a very old colosseum in Rome where gladiators were fighting for their lives. Venice is well know for her transportation through canals on boats. Paris has its Eiffel Tower and the most famous museum in this world, the Louvre. We can find any culture in this museum. It is too big to see all of it in one day, and it makes you want to go to France again and again. Also if you decide to take a tour through Europe, you hve to visit definitely Prague. This capital city also has really old culture, and it is in pristine condition. You can find here Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, the astronomical clock and so many others sights.
d, isn’t as old as Europe, so it is not easy to find such deep culture here. Everyone knows of the Statue of Liberty that is in New York that Mr. Eiffel made for America. This country took a culture from other countries–like Asia, Africa and Europe. Immigrants brought their own ideas and cultures from their homelands. In America, there is no one culture; it is a mixture of many, many different cultures. American people are so proud of their country, and they show it on every corner with flags and the Pledge of Allegiance. Also, there are so many states in America and each of them has a different accent, dialect, food and culture.