Easter Meets West: A Story Of Me In The US
by Yuhan Huang
Growing up, I heard many stories about study abroad from my relatives, they say studying abroad is to see the outside world and experience another foreign culture, walk through the road you have never walked, and see the scenery you have never seen. Fantastic life seems to be the best words to define study abroad. But what they said is partially true, because I think study abroad is about experiencing life.
Started from over seven thousand miles, and 18 hours flight to the US isn’t that easy at age of 18. When you land in the US, It was like running in to the wall at Platform 9 and ¾ in Harry Potter, Entering into a magic world. There are a lot of emotions come to me, exited, nervous, and etc.It is hard to tell at that moment, because from that time, you have to speak different language and interact with people.In China, we have an old saying: It is the first step that costs trouble. Starting up my first semester in UMSL is a real challenge for me, language barrier, social network, and food. It takes time for me to deal with these issues and be comfortable with culture in here. You have to be patient to learn and discover things when you are in a foreign country, trying to adapt culture and environment into your mind as soon as possible. this is one thing that I learn from my Korean friend in UMSL, he made a lot of friends from different countries, explore different culture and cities in the US.
As time passed, things get easier and better, I started to explore school and this city. I participate in many organizations and meetings at UMSL which related to my major, like accounting club, accountant network nigh, and career fair. This made me more confident to interact with native people. Also, in order to enhance my work experience, I took my step and got into Instructional Support Services in UMSL as a student consultant. At that time, I had a chance to assist people and work with others. There is a fun fact when I worked at there:north campus has stored iMac than in the south campus.
In last May, I finally got my bachelor’s degree as an accounting student, four years of college gave me an understanding of America culture and fresh knowledge. Soon,I decided to pursue a higher education and got accept by UMSL graduate school, unlike undergraduate students, most of the classes are on the evening and has heavier work than undergrads. But I’m fully prepared for my new adventure, because of my past experience in UMSL. I also applied my first internship on campus which is where I am now—UMSL Ambassador. I’m getting more involved into campus.
Come here at a very young age, I feel like I grew up a lot, studying in UMSL totally transformed my live. This overseas experience in UMSL will be an unforgettable treasure for me and I will carry forward in the future.