On August 26th 2010, I jumped off the airplane and finally made my first step to the United States. I was born and raised in Shanghai, having zero abroad experience. Breathing the clear air in the new world, I was totally dazzled by the amazing view of Ann Arbor at that moment – blue sky, white clouds, red leaves decorates the trees which I had no idea what they are called. “This place must be heaven!” I said to myself. Soon enough, I realized in the heavy snow that it is either heaven or hell.
But the cold winter is not the only thing that stands in my way. Pressures come from many factors such as study, part-time jobs, personal life, roommate relationship and peers. I realized that it is important to keep the balance between work and life; not to argue against trivial stuff in order to ease the relationship with others; and never stop believing even when the hope is low and the stakes is high. When I looked back today, I couldn’t imagine that I could learn all this without experiencing the two years in Ann Arbor.
But the biggest take away from my experience abroad is this: “Be tough, don’t be a push over.” I heard this from my friends, and they learnt it from their professor. Being tough means being strong physically and mentally. Yes you will be overburdened with so many homework, assignments and reports; yes you will feel uneasy among other students, especially when you are late for a group meeting; and yes the winter is terrible and you will easily get ill. But there is a group of people, the “oversea monks”, who have faith of why they are here and who are not going to give up. Anyway, life is like a river, and everything will flow, no matter good or bad.
For those who plan to go abroad, I suggest that you go out often. Your idea will change significantly during the time you spent abroad. And how your idea change depends on who you meet, where you are, and what you experience. So be prepared to take risk. Last but not the least, keep your apartment nice and tidy so that you know you have a harbor waiting for you when you got tired.
