My American Scholarly Experience - Essay Example

My American Scholarly Experience As a Chinese native speaker who moved to America following my junior high studies, I have had firsthand experience of how difficult it is to understand and actually write using a new language. Even though I am increasingly improving my skills in English, especially after going through a Californian high school, I still have a long way to go. Language is not the only aspect I have had to adapt to, since there are numerous cultural factors that I am still getting used to. My experience in America as a Chinese student has been interesting and life changing. I hope to gain more from the university and the American society in general. This essay provides a comprehensive narrative of my experience as a Chinese student in America, forming a potential foundation for others in my position to adjust and reap maximum benefits from the American society. Before coming to America, I always had a dream to study abroad in the hope of pursuing high quality education. In addition, I hoped to experience other people’s cultures, while getting a global point of view of issues surrounding the modern society. My parents and peers encouraged the move, terming it as a path towards self-discovery and exploration of my career options. Given all these factors, my move to America was filled with high expectations, hopes to make friends immediately, and enjoying all the things that the new culture had to offer. Even though I was slightly nervous during my flight from Beijing, my excitement was more than any concerns. For this reason, I did not take possible challenges into consideration and as a result, I was not fully prepared for the American life. On arrival from China, I was welcomed quickly but warmly at the airport. It is here that I began observing the differences between China and America. For example, while back at home people take their time to show you around or at least give you directions to wherever you want to go, majority of Americans do not have the patience for that. I also came to realize that many people in America are highly suspicious of strangers and therefore, interact cautiously with them. I also noted that unlike in China, where taxi drivers keep to themselves, in America they tend to ask many questions. It was rather difficult to keep up with the basic conversation after arrival, since I only understood a few English words. In consideration of these observations, it would perhaps be advisable for other foreign students to have all information on America prior to migrating here. This would prepare them not only for the idealistic elements of the society, but also inevitable challenges, however simple some might seem. After settling, I had to start attending school. Unlike in China where I had to walk a relatively short distance to school, in California I had to start taking the bus. This meant that I had to be on time at the pick-up point or else I could miss bus, hence missing classes. Keeping up with the schedule was difficult at first, particularly due to the time difference that I was yet to adapt to. In addition to the time concerns, travelling by bus to school was rather strange. This is because I did not know the other students and to them, I was a stranger that they had to avoid before gaining full understanding of my nature. As a result, I constantly felt like the odd one out, sitting alone in the bus. Alternatively, whenever I sat next to another student, we would remain silent all the way to school. It was at this point that I started grasping the reality that making friends was not going to be an easy task. During my first few weeks at school, my low know-how of English continued to worsen my interaction inability, while affecting my learning ability. For example, when asked to complete class projects in groups, many students avoided me. These classmates claimed that I would not contribute effectively to the group project since my English was barely understandable. Others said that it would be time consuming for them to try and explain things to me. As a result, I could neither make friends nor participate as actively as I would have wanted in the learning process. I completely identify with Yan and Berliner’s sentiments (939), who indicate that language barrier prevents Chinese students in America from engaging in important events like sports, different school clubs, and even entertainment activities attended by most students of their age. For instance, I chose to interact with other Chinese students within the school, since they could understand me and my challenges to fit into my new learning environment. Despite my reduced ability to speak English and interact with American students, I was determined to bring to life my dream of learning about other cultures. Therefore, I spent a lot of time with other Chinese students taking English lessons. I also practiced word pronunciation during my free time, gradually learning the language and broadening my vocabulary. Consequently, I was able to start participating in mainstream school activities and making a few friends, not just from America, but also international students from countries other than China. It was at this point, almost four months since my enrollment at the California high school, that I started appreciating the diversity of the American society. For instance, there were students from Europe, Australia, and even Africa. Each student from the diverse cultural backgrounds, with whom I had an opportunity to interact, had a unique story to tell about their adaptation experience. Most, like me, had found language a significant barrier to proper integration into the school. I can also not forget the difficulty I experienced in trying to adapt to the teaching as well as learning practices in my new American school. For example, in my junior high school studies in China, I was used to listening to the teacher, writing notes, and later taking examinations to qualify me for the next class. This means that teachers played a significant role in China, where they simply taught and we absorbed the information, without much teacher-student exchange. I also had a tendency to repeatedly memorize information learnt in class, in readiness to pass my examinations. This was, however, not the same learning approach I had to use in the American high school. Just as indicated by Yan and Berliner (940) Chinese students are expected to practice the lessons learnt in class and to actively participate in class discussions, yet they are not used to this. It was also strange for me to do group assignments and projects, since I was previously used to individual homework that I would hand in the morning after being assigned. The dramatic shift from a passive and teacher-focused learning approach to an active student-focused one was unsettling for me. I was not comfortable with the idea of meeting other students for several hours a day, in order to discuss questions and come up with common solutions. Nonetheless, I came to appreciate the group work with time, since it not only gave me the confidence to voice my opinion, but also enhanced my ability to take other people’s views into account. These experiences made me realize that I was not the only one negatively affected by this unfamiliarity with learning approaches and the language barrier. It would be possible for involved learning institutions to help students like me to overcome such challenges through comprehensive education exchange programs, provision of distinctive English classes, and ensuring that foreign students are adequately oriented to their new environs. In the course of my high school learning process, I further came to realize that many people associate the Chinese with certain stereotypes that are not necessarily true or positive. For example, once I started interacting with other students, many kept asking about my home country’s political status. Many upheld the belief that China is controlling, especially in regard to its diplomatic relations with Asian counterparts like Taiwan and Hong Kong. This was occasionally upsetting, particularly due to the fact that I am not a dedicated follower of politics. In addition to the question of Chinese politics in relation to the rest of the world, some American students expressed their belief that China poses economic threat to other global economies, as it diversifies into various international environs. Others were openly critical of my home country’s policies like emphasis on conceiving one child and information regulation. I initially felt that these criticisms were unfair, especially due to the fact that I could not comprehend their outlook on the issues. However, with time I came to acknowledge Zhang’s (150) assertion that there is need for every person to express and argue for one’s ideology and perspective on issues. As a result, my American high school experience opened my eyes to political and economic ideology, which I believe is crucial in developing overall maturity. Other than the language and learning issues, I realized early that I had a long way to go in the attempt to embrace cultural aspects. Key among the cultural factors that I had to get used to was the dress code. In China, I had to wear school uniform, which is the case for all students, particularly in lower grades. In America, I was excited to see that this was not a requirement. However, I was equally concerned that people did not opt for conservative dressing, which I thought would be uncomfortable for others. Nonetheless, I was happy about it since wearing clothes of one’s choice creates a sense of informality, hence forming a comfortable learning environment. Another area that was not as easy to embrace was the food available for consumption. While I would ordinarily opt for sugar-free drinks, vegetarian meals and other relatively healthy foods in China, I found that my choices were largely restricted to affordable fast foods such as burgers, fries, hotdogs, and soft drinks with a high content of sugar. Even though these seemed enjoyable over the first few weeks of my being in America, I gradually went back to the notion that they do not make up ‘real’ food. The entertainment part of the American culture is a widely popular and cannot be overlooked as a defining moment for an international student like me. According to Zhang (154), while in China students are forced by parental and societal expectations to strictly comply with laws and regulations, it is apparent that there is much more freedom for American scholars. Back home, my school seniors could not hold parties or engage actively in social activities. I have, however, had the pleasure of enjoying occasional school parties such as homecoming and high school prom. In addition to gaining exposure and interacting with fellow students at a social level, such events have enabled me gain significant insight into other people’s way of life. These culture-oriented occurrences have also significantly shaped my outlook on interactive friendship, thus helping me create crucial social networks that I will strive to sustain even in future. Overall, my experience as a Chinese scholar in America has been enlightening. Even though my journey has not been free of challenges, the friends, skills, and opportunities I have gained over time, outweigh the problems. I have not only learnt a language that equips me with the ability to work in any environment around the world, but I am also well-informed about various cultures. Exposure to a learning approach that demands my participation has played a huge role in enabling me develop my creativity, critical thinking ability, and even the capacity to solve problems in a practical manner. I also recognize the fact that I have become more sociable, compared to my earlier state of being a socially awkward individual. My self-confidence has risen increasingly, not just because of my rebuilt critical thinking ability, but also because of the diverse peer relationships that I have managed to form and maintain. I am still on a journey of exploring and embracing my life as an American and judging from the far I have come, I strongly believe that it will keep getting better. I am also certain that, with proper student orientation and acculturation strategies in place, coupled with a positive attitude towards change, other foreign students would gain the same benefits I have. Work Cited Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Random House LLC. 2007. Yan, Kun and Berliner, David. Chinese international students’ academic stressors in the United States. College Student Journal, 43.4 (2009): 939-960. Zhang, Hong, "Academic adaptation and cross-cultural learning experiences of Chinese students at American universities: a narrative inquiry." Education Doctoral Theses. 2013. 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