Studying in a new place is a difficult challenge for most people. Many students have faced a variety of challenges on the first day of college, such as feeling lost and tired. For me, the most challenging issue that I faced was how to communicate with others using a different language, i.e., English. At first, English was not easy to me to understand when other people were talking, so I often had to use sign language to explain what I needed or wanted. In this essay, I will discuss two issues that I have faced: communicating with Americans in English, and the importance of making new friends.
The first day of college was one of the most difficult days in my life for one particular reason: the barrier between myself and the other students because of my difficulties with speaking English. I struggled with speaking their language, and found it extremely challenging to communicate in what was for me, a completely foreign language. For example, when I arrived at school, the person at the reception area asked me to give him my passport, or at least my name. However, I had no idea what was being asked of me, so it seemed that I am deaf because all of my communication involved using sign language. Another example of the language problem was that I had to go to the immigration office to inform them that I had arrived at college. When I arrived there to tell them, I was unable to say anything because I had no idea how to communicate with anyone in a language that was different than my own. This caused me to feel extremely powerless to do even a simple task on my own.
The fact that I felt completely misunderstood and was unable to understand others was horrible for me because every culture has special signs or gestures and distinct ways to communicate. For example, in my culture when having a conversation if you say “aha or ok”, that shows the person that you are listening carefully. However, in the United States if you make such sounds, even in a soft tone, during the discussion, there is a risk that the person will think that you are interrupting him. In general, it was having to rely on a completely new language that was the primary reason that made the first day of college so difficult and at times, terrifying.
When I moved to the US, it was a big challenge and making friends was extremely difficult as well. In addition, when I went to ISU for the first time, I felt so depressed because I had no idea where I had to go in order to register for my classes. Eventually, however, I asked my advisor to assist me as best as she could. Lo and behold, several months later, I have a whole bunch of friends that I can have fun with. In addition, I am able to find my way around very easily now. For example, last week, I had a very difficult biology assignment and I was completely at a loss to even begin working on it. However, my new friends gave me some extremely useful background information that related to the assignment and also gave me some ideas about how to complete it. In the end, I did very well, and I received a wonderful grade. The fact that my friends are very important to me plays an important part in significantly reducing my stress level. As a result, when I feel unhappy, I seek them out and spend a lot of time with them because I know that I will have fun, and it gives me a good distraction from some of the things that I have been worried about.
Before going to college, I was very excited about going to a new country that I had never visited before, because it seemed like a great way to have new experiences and meet all new kinds of people. As it has turned out, I do appreciate being in a completely new environment, and I have learned a lot about the American culture. I have formed a variety of new relationships with all types of people, and I believe that this will make it easier for me to connect with people in the future, even if I am in unfamiliar places. Nevertheless, being in a new country that is completely unlike my own at times makes me feel sad. Sometimes I have heard people say that you don’t know what you have until it’s gone, and in my case that has been true because I have really come to appreciate my home country much more than I did when I actually lived there. Things that used to bother me before I moved to the US seem so unimportant now, so that when I go back home, I don’t think that I will become as impatient with so many things and so many people as I was before I went away to college.
In general, I learned that moving to a place far away from home where you don’t know anyone at all and don’t speak the language is an extremely challenging move, especially for someone who is young and has had very little experience in unfamiliar places and situations. The other lesson I’ve learned that is so crucial is that even in that type of situation where everything feels strange, making connections with people who eventually become good friends improves the situation dramatically. Going through big changes alone can seem almost impossible at times, but when there are people surrounding you who give you support and friendship, getting through the challenge of being in a foreign place becomes much easier. That, fortunately has been my experience, and I am extremely grateful to have such a wonderful group of people to spend time with. Forming relationships while using a completely new language is very difficult, but I know that it is important for me to work hard to succeed in improving my English because making friends allows me to calm down and feel less stress. It also helps a great deal to talk with people who have similar experiences, so that a person no longer feels alone.
