At our Toastmasters (a public speaking club) meeting tonight, we had some really interesting table topics. They asked for people’s opinions on the United States, what the good and bad changes it there were during the past decades, what it should be improved.
This was really thought provoking to me. Even though I’ve been following news and media, I find myself think too little about all these topics, and haven’t formed many opinions about this country that I’ve been living almost seven years. Listening to all the talking, I was kind of lost in thought, thinking about why I came to the US: It was not that “I want to achieve my dream in this land of opportunities” kind though. Disappointed, ugh, when I look back ;)
When I was a sophomore student, I wasn’t happy about the courses I was taking and the college life I was having at that time. But I didn’t know if I had much choice other than keeping taking them. I didn’t think I would be ready for any job once I graduated, nor did I want to continue my study in graduate school in China. I really wanted to find ways to experience a different environment, sort of like giving my life a restart. I hoped to challenge myself a little bit with the change, since I was much more shy at that point.
I started looking for options, and coming abroad looked a promising option, with great support from my family. My friend suggested that I should go to Europe, because of its relaxed and slow-paced life. Well, I thought the pace there was probably too slow for me, so I didn’t have much hesitation when I made my decision to come to the US.
It turns out this is a right choice. I think so far I blend into the culture here nicely. I have been through various challenges and definitely become a stronger mind. My eyes are widely opened when I’m getting in touch with people with diverse backgrounds and cultures, which is really hard to experience in other countries. There are things I obviously haven’t grabbed the gist, such as the clash between democrats and republicans these days — it looks like attacking opponents have taken a much more important role in the election season, rather than working together to find some good solutions that actually solve problems.
My next goal is to not only keep learning about things, but also expressing myself more and exchanging opinions with others. That’s one of the ways to really understand the people and subjects here in the US.