What's the experience of living in America?

I was born in Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province after the 80s. He came to the United States in 2003 and obtained American citizenship in 2009.

I came to America because of my aunt.

My aunt has lived in America for more than 40 years. She applied for immigration for my father. As I am a single-parent family, I came to America with my father. When I first knew I was coming, I felt that my friends and family were all in China. I felt that I came here as a stranger and everything was a new beginning.

Come to a foreign country with your hometown culture.

When I came to America, there were four things in my bag: a red envelope, a photo, moisturizer and a dish brush.

The red envelope is wrapped by grandma, and it contains the soil of my hometown. Grandma said that people will not be acclimatized when they go abroad, and drinking the water soaked in their hometown will alleviate it. Aunt explained that with the soil of the motherland around, it means that you can't forget your roots.

The photo is a photo of my father and my good friend after I arrived in new york, reminding me that I am not alone in a foreign country.

Moisturizing oil is brought at home. My home is by the sea, and the air is humid. My family says the air in new york is dry, especially when I turn on the heating.

The experience of studying in America

After coming to the United States, I began to study in the bilingual high school here. When I came here, I thought the courses here were too simple. Teachers don't give you key points and make you recite a lot of things like in China. I went to this high school. There are many students from Asia, as well as students from China, Fujian and Guangdong. At that time, I mainly played with people in China.

When we first arrived in the United States, my father worked in a supermarket with little income. After paying the rent, there was nothing left, so I went to work after class. So I have been very busy in high school. Dad doesn't agree He thinks he should study hard and don't worry about anything else. But I insist on going. Looking at it now, I think it is also a good experience.

Dad doesn't know English, so I made my own decision to choose a university. At that time, I got the admission notice from Connor University, but I finally chose to go to Union College. At that time, I thought I wanted to practice oral English and learn something from America when I went to college. I like my university very much and my life is very happy. When I was a sophomore and a junior, I worked as a Chinese teaching assistant, and my salary was not bad. I also worked as a public relations officer in the Asian Student Union. I also took pottery and piano lessons for free at school.

After emigrating, I felt some similarities and differences.

Although I moved to the United States with my father, and my household registration is also in the United States, I still consider myself a 100% pure China. Passport name is not changed into English, but still in Chinese.

After returning home, I will obviously feel the cultural differences between China and the United States. For example, for dinner, all our friends here go out in AA system, or you invite me once in a while. But in China, you are very polite and used to it. Everyone must invite you when you come. Traditionally, this place (the United States) is relatively free, and it will not let others take care of a lot and do what they like. At home, there are more constraints than the outside world.

In China, the feeling of home is heavier; In America, more freedom. What I like about China is that I still have feelings for my family back home. In the United States, the way of the world is relatively light, and everything depends on yourself. It feels very different.

About my life now.

I am a nurse in charge of medical evaluation, but it is my dream to open a small shop. So last year, I invested with my friends to open a small restaurant with China noodles, called "Bag Cafe".

There is a small blackboard in front of the store, on which the famous sentence "Beijingers are in new york" is adapted: "If you love him, bring him here. There are the best noodles in new york. If you hate him, bring him here. There is the hottest soup".

My father didn't agree at first, and now he often proudly tells his relatives about my shop and achievements.