I, a girl from Guangdong, love traveling and food. I went to the United States to study at the age of 26 and traveled to most of the United States.

This is the story of the 279th real person we tell

I am Xiaofeng, a native of Taishan, Guangdong. When I was 26 years old, I came alone to the United States, which many people yearn for. Now I live In New York.

By chance, I gave up my stable job in China and decided to study in the United States. But after coming to the United States, although I encountered many difficulties, I never gave up. Now that I'm here, I'm going to carve out a world for myself! Over the past few years, I have worked hard while studying, treating New York as my second hometown, and I have also encountered beautiful love. Now, when weekends come, my husband and I go on trips to explore stores, and our days are happy and fulfilling!

I was born in Taishan, Guangdong in 1988. It is adjacent to Hong Kong and Macao and is known as the "No. 1 hometown of overseas Chinese in the country". The number of people living in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and overseas countries is 300,000 more than the number of local residents. The name of "the first hometown of overseas Chinese" is worthy of its name. Among them, the largest number of people went to live in the United States, which also created an opportunity for me to go to the United States later.

I am the eldest in my family and have two younger sisters. My parents are self-employed and run a local grain and oil store. Although I am not rich and powerful, they love me like a princess. I have never been good at doing housework since I was a child, let alone cooking.

I am especially dependent on my mother, and I have to pull her with me wherever I go, just like a bird hiding under its mother's wings. It can be said that I was a proper "mom's girl" at that time.

I particularly love beauty. The Chinese name has the character "phoenix" in it, and the English name is Phoenix, which means "phoenix". Under the meaning of these two names, I hope that I will not only have beautiful temperament, but also have a rich spiritual life. No matter when I was a child or now, I always dress up before going out. This is not only a way to boost your self-confidence, but also a way to respect others.

My grades in elementary school were good and I was the pride of my whole family. During the high school entrance examination, because I liked singing and dancing and was envious of girls who could play the piano, I thought I was suitable for an art career. Therefore, during the high school entrance examination, I chose a well-known early childhood normal college in Guangdong Province.

However, after working, I realized that hobbies and work are not the same thing. I like teaching children to sing and dance, but this job includes other unexpected aspects, such as communicating with parents and taking care of children's meals.

I am a Gemini and I like to explore new things, especially when I am young. I want to experience more different industries and increase the thickness of my life. So, I resigned from my job as a kindergarten teacher and began to try the freshness that different careers brought me.

Later, I worked in a high-end dental hospital. With his down-to-earth attitude, he rose from the grassroots level to department manager step by step.

After working in dentistry for a year, a friend wanted to develop his career in the United States and asked me if I would like to go with him. After listening to it, I also worried about gains and losses and had some concerns. Facing an uncertain future, most people feel fear. I have never been abroad, so I don’t know how it will be in the United States.

However, life cannot be broken or established. Gemini's love of exploration came to light again in me. Since the development in China is already very stable, why not challenge yourself and go to the United States to explore? Even if there is no harvest, it is still a trip to a foreign country. I happen to have a relative who has settled in New York, and there will always be someone to take care of me when I get to the United States.

So, I planned to go to the United States to further my studies and applied for a study visa. I scraped together enough to pay for my trip abroad.

In 2015, I came to New York - one of the most famous cities in the world! Later facts proved: How wise this choice was! Sometimes life is strange, and one choice can change your life drastically.

When I first arrived in the United States, I was full of curiosity and felt that everything was so new. New York is dazzled by the numerous high-rise buildings and bustling lights. I fell in love with this modern metropolis right away! Determined to stay here and develop.

Then, I started to go to school and work at the same time. In my first year, I worked part-time as a Chinese teacher in an early childhood education center. But with the burden of tuition fees and rent, life began to be stretched.

Later, under the introduction of relatives, I changed my job and worked as an assistant in a Chinese immigration law firm. I have been doing this job for 5 years.

I think there are three things that women cannot stop: first, they cannot stop learning; second, they cannot stop being beautiful; third, they cannot stop making money. Learn to improve your temperament, beauty brings confidence, and independence is respected. So, no matter what age you are, you must do these things.

Every once in a while, I will sign up for various skills training to improve my abilities; before going out every day, I have to put on a beautiful light makeup so that my colleagues and friends can see my confident and beautiful side. At the same time, I will also participate in various salons to improve my aesthetic ability.

I am not slack when it comes to making money. In addition to working full-time, I also opened a W store, whose main products are women's clothing and skin care products.

I developed my hobby into a side job, which is considered a happy thing in life.

I hope that I can live as beautiful as a phoenix, live a fulfilling and unrestrained life, and balance my work and life. Outside of work, I like to travel. In the eyes of many people, traveling is tiring and expensive.

But for me, seeing more places in the world can add value to myself. I am afraid that one day I will regret it. When I am too old to walk, I will realize that some years can no longer be taken back.

After my life got back on track, I began to travel to various states in the United States and visit attractions around New York. So far, my footprints have spread to more than 20 states in the United States.

The dangerous and spectacular Horseshoe Bend around Las Vegas left behind my back; Canada’s rushing Niagara Falls left me there; and New Orleans’ Oak Manor left behind me. The footprints of... Travel not only greatly broadened my horizons, but more importantly, it improved my life pattern.

After my life became stable, my family began to worry about my marriage. Especially when I am approaching my 30s, every time I contact them, I get all kinds of urgings to get married.

They still can't get rid of the concept of the older generation, believing that women after the age of 30 will devalue and find it difficult to find a partner. But I will not marry myself just because of my age. I believe there is no age suitable for marriage, only love suitable for marriage.

Being able to speak fluent English is very important in the United States, so I want to make some foreign friends and practice my speaking skills. I was single at the time and wanted to find a partner. I learned from a friend that American dating websites are more reliable, so I registered an account on such websites.

At that time I never thought about marrying a foreigner. I am also very Buddhist when it comes to online dating. If you can't chat, practice your speaking skills; if you can chat well, you can make friends. Unfortunately, I never met the right person. Until one day in 2019, I accidentally met L online.

L has the straightforwardness of an American. After he saw my information online and took the initiative to say hello, his second sentence was to make an appointment to meet the next day, and I simply replied "ok" directly.

Actually, I didn’t take this brief agreement seriously that day. Many people just talked about it on the Internet, so I followed the sentiment and readily agreed to him. Moreover, this agreement does not have a specific time and place, and I am not sure whether we can meet offline.

Unexpectedly, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon the next day, I received a message from him, saying that we would meet in Manhattan at 5 o'clock. However, it was raining heavily at the time, and it was too embarrassing to go on a date in the heavy rain. So, I wanted to cancel the meeting and find an excuse that I had something to do.

If it were an ordinary person, the meeting might be canceled or the time would be rescheduled. But L has a different persistence than ordinary people. He said he would meet again after I finished my work, and later said he could pick me up. I thought to myself: This is such a trustworthy and serious person!

He drove his car and arrived as promised. L is tall, about 1.9 meters tall. At that time, there was a puddle of water in front of my house. He stepped into the puddle of water and opened the door for me. This heart-warming behavior made me like this gentleman even more.

He drove me to a Japanese restaurant. After the meal, we went to play pool and later went to the rooftop bar. At the end of the day, we both expressed that we liked each other and planned to continue dating.

As the relationship deepened, I gradually got to know him. He was an Italian born in the United States in 1982. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in business administration, he further studied finance. He currently works as a financial planner at a large financial institution in the United States.

L is a very motivated person. Through his own efforts, he started from the grassroots step by step and has now become the backbone of the company.

He thinks that I am full of positive energy, optimistic and temperamental in nature, and full of oriental charm. In this way, our feelings quickly heated up.

After a year of dating, L and I discussed getting married, and we encountered conflicts for the first time. Like most Americans, L believes that a deep relationship between two people is more important than a thin marriage certificate. He once had a long-distance relationship, but never got married.

And I always believe: The person who truly loves you will definitely want to marry you home and turn you into the closest person to you, even if you are a foreigner. Besides, I am in a foreign country, and my longing for home is even stronger.

Before L met me, he never thought about getting a marriage certificate. But for me, he changed his mind. Americans pay great attention to the marriage proposal ceremony. Soon, he gave me a big surprise.

At that time, he took me to the three tallest buildings in New York, and finally he chose to propose to me in the restaurant on the 102nd floor of the World Trade Center. We were having a meal when he suddenly knelt down in front of me on one leg, holding a sparkling diamond ring in his hand, and said to me affectionately: Marry me!

I was pleasantly surprised and moved by it. He gave me many surprises, and every time there was nothing I could have imagined, and there was nothing he could not do. However, this surprise is undoubtedly the most important one in my life.

I took the ring and said happily: "Yes, I do! I do! "

Later I found out that he had already designed a proposal plan. He plans to propose by hanging a banner on the plane. However, it rained heavily that day and it was impossible to rent a plane, so L secretly changed his proposal plan.

Due to the epidemic, the wedding has been postponed. Until December 30th, we held a small wedding ceremony in a small court. Although it is simple, it is enough to make me unforgettable for the rest of my life.

The moment I got married, my heart was filled with a sense of happiness and belonging. After wandering in the United States for 5 years, I finally had my own home!

After marriage, I am no longer alone. With L around me, my life has more fun and happiness.

During holidays, we go to various gourmet restaurants to explore. Go to a Japanese restaurant to eat sushi, go to a Vietnamese restaurant to eat Vietnamese pho, taste hot dogs from a century-old hot dog shop in Chicago...

L has always treated me as before, holding me in the palm of his hand, and giving gifts every holiday. Sometimes when you wake up in the morning, you will see breakfast laid out by the bed. If you have a husband like this, what else can you ask for?

I always believe that there is no absolute good or bad in a person's life. The life that suits you is the best. We can be poor, but we cannot lack the determination to walk. We must go to as many places as possible in our limited life, only then will we find that the meaning of life is far more than what is in front of us.

Oral narration: Xiaofeng