staying together

I can’t agree with Hiroshi for a hundred percent, but there is a true in his words. It depends how long time have you lived in a different country. The most problem for people who moved to another place and have lived there not for a long time is sadness, feeling of loneliness… means that you think about your home and people from your native country, your family and friends and miss them with the trebled force. This is true. And in these moments seems that you will never understand people from different culture and they will never understand you, as Hiroshi says. Yes, there are many and very different cultures in the world, but people still have the same feelings. People everywhere know love, friendship, help, fun, relationship. The problem might be with language, when you can’t explain what is in your head, or can’t say something as you can say in your native language. I think, it just a deal of time. I hope so…..I really hope so.

Staying together

“You can never really understand someone from another culture. " I agree with this point. As we know, the culture is a big word which include different things as religious, norms, food style and so on. Everyone have chance to learn other culture, you may pay more interested in it, but can you accept all the things of this culture, that is a difficult question for everyone. Because we are borned with the culture, the first thing into our mind influence on our life directly. In one word, we can accept someone from anthoer culture, but never really understand well.

Staying together

"You can never really understand someone from another culture." I agree with this statement. There are different cultures between in own country. For example, different languages; different clothes style; different religion; different food; different background; different lifestyle... .Because when you immigrated to a foreign country, everything are new for you. Some people are hard to accept another culture. Some people split when they got married to a foreigner in a short time, because they have different backgrounds in their culture.

Coming to United States changed my life

Coming to United States changed my life
The new experience in a foreign country has changed my life. I have been in the United States since August, 2007. I’m a full-time international student and living alone in Chicago. When I arrived in this city, my uncle who lived in Chicago helped me get a new cell-phone plan, bought daily use and a computer. I only had my uncle living in this city with me during that time, but in the end of 2007, he moved to New York City and I stayed here alone. However, the most intractable situation was finding an apartment. I didn’t know where I could go or how could I find a room. I was seeking assistance from my friend; some of my friend are gave me some information about finding apartment. I just worked online to search and made appointments with apartment leasing office frequently. I couldn’t speak English as well at the beginning; also, I was very shy and embarrassed to have a conversation with others. On the other hand, the apartment requires social security number, but I didn’t have it. I tried to contact my previous school in Chicago and got a special letter for proving my status. I finally found a place and successfully moved in. Thinking back what I did, I felt accomplishment because I used to have my parents’ help. In contrast, living in the United States seldom have I felt as comfortable as home. I learned how to communicate and be more self-confident. Nowadays, I think about this experience. It changed my life attitude. I became an adaptable person, adjusted to a new environment and ready to face every difficulty in the future.

Staying together

"You can never really understand someone from another culture." this statement speaks out the immigrant's experience. when you live in a foreign country, everyting is strange. the new language, the new environment, the new lifestyle, the culture, there are all things you must accept it. But you accept your native culture frome birth on, the original religion, culture are inveterate in your soul. Thus, when you adjust another culture, the original will be influence you. For example, you get married a foreigner, you are different religion, grew up diffenet background, can you stomach each other lifestyle, and exactly understander each other culture? Genrally, a lot of this type of couples will divorce. Therefore, even thought you try adapt it hard, you never completely understander it.

The Culture Gap

On page 7 of Staying Together, Hiroshi said, “You can never really understand someone from another culture. I agree with this statement. Different cultures have different languages and different traditions. People are conditioned by their culture since they were children, when their minds were like blank sheets of paper. As a result, they developed a unique taste and ways of thinking. These differences lead to different habits. People can enjoy other cultures, and people can also respect different cultures but they can never really understand another culture. Even people within a culture do not understand each other completely, needless to say understanding someone from another culture. In my experience, I have met a Chinese woman in the plane. Her seat was besides mine. She told me that she had get married with a Swiss for ten years and had two lovely children, but if she wants to take children to china, she need to tell her husband in a formal way and receive her husband’s agreement, or her husband will call the police. It is difficult for Chinese people to understand this behavior. There are many other similar examples of misunderstandings in her life. She didn’t plan to divorce, but she regretted her marriage. I think this is a good example to support the quote.

The world and the culture

"You can never really understand someone from another culture", it's absolutely right for me.
The key to living is interation. All the things that auround us have to interat. We live in the same place, world. There are notthing to escape when we are get together, just like in the melting pot.The meat changes to delicious, because it meet many kinds of vegetable. As same as different culture. When we're bored, we need some new culture to keep the live fresh. However, when the new culture comes all you can do is accept. On the other hand, accept doesn't mean understand. Despitd the fact that we have interaction,we are unique. We have emotion,we have warmth,and most importantly, we have a soul. We keep our culture as long as we can. It is easy to know what is eastern style,or western style. We only see what we want to see, and believe what we want to believe, so your country culture only belongs your country,and not thing would change. Whatever we do, we are never change to be another person.

Staying Together

"You can never really understand someone from another culture." This is a real saying. I agree with it. It is not easy to get together with someone from another culture. My colleague, a Chinese women with two children just divorced one years ago. she met the white man, her previous husband in the restaurant which she work about ten years ago. They fell in love soon, and they got marry. They had a lot of conflict when they lived together. My colleague liked to live in China Town where her parents live, But her husband work in Gary Indiana. He had his career there. Her husband liked to go to church and hoped that she could with him on every sunday. My colleague loved to go shoping on every sunday only. She hate going to church. With the time going, they can't stay together anymore even though they have two children. They couldn't understand each other.

Motorcycle Scare

Motorcycle Scare

An accident that happened to me caused me to really be scared motorcycles. About ten years ago, I was still living in China. In my hometown, people went everywhere by bus or rode the motorcycle. I remembered the day of my cousin’s wedding. It was in the summer. Most people liked to ride motorcycle because of the comfortable feeling of cool wind blowing on their faces. After the wedding, a young man, my cousin’s friend promised to give me a ride home. When we started riding back home on the road, it was almost ten o’clock at night. The traffic was not heavy, so the young man rode faster and faster. Although I was mildly scared, I enjoyed the blowing wind. Suddenly the motorcycle crashed, and I didn’t know what happened. I lay prone on the road, and I felt a huge pain attached my knee and my palm. Oh! My knee was bleeding. That was terrible. I had never felt something as bad as this. I was sent to hospital, and I couldn’t walk for three months. I am very scared the motorcycles and riding motorcycle after the accident. There is still a wide scar on my left knee, and that always reminds me to never ride a motorcycle again.

Staying Together

I agree with this statement because If I leave my hometown and I go to the another country I mean another culture and I have never seen this culture before, so I see a new people are different from me about their hair , eyes shape and religions. If I don't speak their language that I can't understand them and I can't communicate with them.I can't treat them so easily.For example,When I came to U.S , I was scared to go the another culture because this culture is more progress society than my country.I saw alot of people in another culture and they were different from me about:hair colour and eyes shape,so It's the first time I have seen these people.I didn't know how to treat them and how can I communicate with them. I couldn't speak English,so I couldn't understand anyone.Therefore, I decided to go to Harold Washington College to learning English, so I met a new friends from another country and I started to communicate with them. I spoke English with them ,so living with them so beautiful and enjoyable.

I will do my best

Most of the people have their strength and their weakness. Some of them know their slef-image,but not for me.When I read the list of topic for the Journal Assigment.There is the one "Something you dislike about yourself "I like this topic very much because it remember me about my own experience.
Before I started study in Summer. I took English Reading &Grammer and Business math study course. In English class I felt so comfortable talk to teacher and classmates. I think my speech and pronunciation is better than other students.That's over self confindce make me forgot who I am.
But other class I knew it really hard for me.In class I was the only one who didn't understand hat the teacher said. I felt sad and frustated. Sometimes I didn't study at all. I just go out with my friends when the final exam started I can not do my best and my partents was very sad. I felt very bad why I can not be like other students that got the best result.
I hate my over self confindce and fall everything. I give myself one more chance to study,so here I am. I promise to myself I will do the best I can.


Xinxin Hou ~Stacy

DAKHLA

The must thing I miss form my country is Dakhla. Dakhla is agreeable city in the Western Sahara in morocco.

I always went there four the summer, but this year I couldn’t go because I was here in US.

In Dakhla they have a wonderful beach you can do many activities in it, like Jet Ski and fishing you and find many kind ok fish and you can eat a fresh fish there. You can also do safari in desert Sahara. They have many beautiful thinks to see there. If you need to relax you can do massage with the hate sand and the must romantic thing to see there is the sunset.

I hope Next summer I get chance to go there again to spend an agreeable vacation with my family.

Illness

A word of the ill, nobody likes this word because it can make people feel painfully. But I have a different mind because illness can give me some warning to change my life. When I was kid my favorite food was junk food I always ate pizza and dim sum. These foods are very heavy. I also didn’t do exercise, so I have about 200 pounds, but I never felt weight over because I never felt any pain. I thought my body was very hearth, so I never stopped eat. One day, things are happened to me. I felt sick because my legs could not move and my body was fever, I felt a lot of pain. I called my family. I slept in my bed waiting my family. After ten seconds. My family was coming. They thought I had serious problem for my legs, so they needed to send me to a hospital. They required my brother to carry me. He said that he couldn’t carry me, because “you are so heavy”. Anyway he did carry me to the floor. They called taxi to send me to the hospital. In the taxi, my brain just thought if I couldn’t walk, then my life will not has meaningful. The moment we arrived to the hospital, they needed to send to emerge room because my legs to swollen and my body fever. When the doctor saw me, he said, you needed stay in the hospital, because you needed X-ray examination for you heart and lungs. Maybe you had some problem for your body anyway “you are so fat”. He said you need control your eating style. During few days in the hospital. I needed eat a healthful food, like vegetables, fish and fruits and also do some exercise. My weight started decrease. My legs could move. I was very happy because I had freedom again. This moment I knew health is very important. Anyway, my bodies result perfect, so I could leave. But I never forget this illness experience because this experience could change my life. I can find a health foods and I can to do exercise to make me health because I learn more if too fat is easy to get illness. Anyway I will keep health life for my future.

My Grandfather's death

My Family Grandfather's death

Retrospectively, my grandfather’s death happened like it was yesterday. It had a big influence on me, and also changed my life. My grandfather was already 83 years old, but he was still very healthy and optimistic. I still remember the day of his death when I was eighteen years old in my native country. The whole day was shrouded in darkness. It was a summer morning, when I was falling in dream on my comfortable bed, the phone was ringing. ”hello…”I yawned and rubbed my eyes.”Mei, come…come here, your grandfather had a heart attack, and the doctor are trying to save him right now!” My mum cried. I did not really know what was going on. However, I knew that he was in a terrible situation. When I rushed into the hospital, everyone was standing in the doorway of his room. I could see doctors and nurses were revolving around his bed and doing CPR for him. After ten minutes, it looked that was not working. The doctor came out and announced they had to give up. Everyone cried with grief. I had never been this kind situation in my life, I was crying right away. Suddenly, I felt how weak life could be and the family was so important to me. I really did not want to lose any relatives any more. I had never recognized how family was important to individual before, but I deeply understood it from my grandfather’s death.

Almost Kidnapped


The event that changed my life was when I almost kidnapped. It happened nine years ago when I was in middle school in San Luis Potosi. I was walking from school to my house when I saw a strange man walking around my neighborhood. I was afraid when I saw that strange man because there was no one else walking by. I started to walk quickly when I realized that the strange man was approaching to me. When I almost got to my house, the strange man approached me and he attempt to take me by force. I was so scared and I thought that I would be kidnapped. The first thing that I thought was shouting for help. One of my neighbors heard me and he left out from his house to help me. My neighbor punched him, so the kidnaper released me. Finally, we called the police to take him. My parents, my neighbor and I went to the prosecutor’s office to file a complaint, so they target him to jail. Now, when I remember that moment, it makes me a little scared, but finally I have learned to overcome that moment.

The valuable educational experience

I used to be a selfish person. I’m the only child in my family, and my parents treated me
like a princess. I always expected people be nice to me. In school, when I had a question, I would
ask and expect them to tell me the answers. However, when they had questions, I would not tell them my answers. That’s because I didn’t wantm them to get the same grade as I did. My friends wanted me to change, but I didn’t think I had a problem until one day I went shopping with my friend. Her name is Ling, and she is the nicest person I had ever met. When we walked down the
bridge, I felt like somebody was following us and it turned out to be a thief. He approached us and used a knife to ask for money. I left her and ran, and then hid. She knew where I was hiding and when the thief asked her, “ Where’s your friend? I saw her left and ran by herself, do you really still think she is a good friend?” I cried when I heard what the thief said. At last, she didn’t tell the thief where I was. Since then, I have changed gradually. I have learned how to treat people after that incident.


Ziping(Cecilia)Zheng

Friendship in my life

Friendship is very important to me. In different stages I have different best friends. I have one best friend that I met her from primary school. We played games together and had a wonderful childhood. Although we don’t contact each other frequently, we know we are best friends forever. I have two best friends that I met them from middle school. We studied together and we had a lot of funny memories in teenage time. And they help me to find my goal of studying. We look each other as sisters. I have two best friends that I met them from university. They are also my classmates. University was a good time for us. We studied together, lived in the same room, and shared love stories. We also did a lot of crazy things. All my best friends they help me to find my goal in different stages. They helped and encouraged me when I had a difficulty. I am very pleasant to make friends with them.

Living in a Foreign Country

Living in foreign country is very exciting.Living is very important to meet a new people and connect with them.I can eat their foods and they can teach me how to cook a delicious food. Education in foreign country is including on the language.Learning language in the foreign country is very interesting to study any fields about:History,Literature,Medical treatment,or you can learn a computer science, and I can acquire a university degree.About Working, we need it to increase the standard of living, earning the opportunity of works, or buying the special requirements.About Festivals for example, Christmas,New Year,or Easter, we can go to the American church with our neighbors or with our friends and I can celebrate in another places for example, I can go to the restaurants, theaters, or I can do/make barbeque. In vacation, I can relax , spend my time with my family , call my friends in my country, sit on the internet, or watch alot of movies to listen English carefully.Living in a foreign country is very beautiful to enjoy the fascinating nature,relaxing, or work and study effetely.

Friendship

Friendship plays a very important role in our life. Everyone has the best friend who will influence on our way to successful. I have one friend called Mei who is from China. Mei is a nice girl with lovely smile. I always believe that I am with Mei as my best friend to make my life wonderful. We recognized each other when we were in kindergarten. As we had mutual interesting thing, we played together and shared our mystery even we were little girl at that time. From our childhood to adolescent, we always stayed together to share our happiness and sadness and to encourage each other. Even we went to different college in different city, we kept in touch with each other everyday. Our friendship had been faced a big problem but we got together at last according to Mei’s tolerant. From our friendship, I understand that we should treat our friendship honestly. Real friends can share all our sorrows and double all our joys. My friendship with Mei lasts fifteen years, and both of us believe that we will stay together forever. Now we are far away from each other, we miss each other very much. But the real friendship keep in our heart forever, which teach us what is real friend, what is tolerant, what is honest.

My Thoughts Changed

I was a white-collar woman two months ago in China. Now I am a Student, and I got married one month ago in the USA. It has been the biggest change in my life and I have enjoyed it.

It was very difficult for me when I graduated from university. I put all my energy in my work like other young people. With my passion and ambition, I achieved my objective. In shanghai, there are many women like me, devoting their life to their job. We don’t have time to talk about love, and many even think our job is our Mr Right. I was realistic and I succeeded at work. I was a manager when I was 25 years old. There were many headhunters who sought after me and recruited me by offering to pay higher salaries. Sometimes I felt happy about my work, but sometimes I also questioned my life: is this the life that I want to pursue? I felt I was losing my interests and myself every day, but life continued like bland water until I met my husband.

I met my husband in a party, and we were attracted to each other. We fell in love shortly after. After that time, I began to think about my life, and I found the most important thing I need to do is just to be a good woman. Love is a miracle. Because of him I changed myself from within. I realized I was indifferent and competitive before, but now I began to love life and study how to take care of others. I found I began to be happier each day. Finally, we decided to get married. We were waiting for about two years, and kept in touch with each other every day.

After everything was prepared, I quit my job and immigrated to the USA, where I must begin from nothing. I love my new life. We plan and achieve our goals together. In our minds we are young and nothing is impossible.

I believe this has been my best decision in my life: getting married to my husband. It totally changed my attitude about life. I learned that family is the most important for me. It will not disturb my work. On the contrary, because of the love and responsibility for my family, I have much more energy and passion for life.

Friendship
Friendship for me the same important and necessary a part of human life like love or happiness. Don’t have friends or don’t feel that you a friend for somebody – this is the same like food without salt, or Christmas without a Christmas tree, or birthday without gifts - something does not suffice. Some people can say that family most important than friends, or kids most important than husband or wife, sex or love… I consider these are not incomparable concepts. I can’t say which one most important. For me, all of them are on the first place.
Friendship – this is a first of all understanding, desire to help and respect of opinion. This is perfectly when you know there are people who can understand and help you, and you can help them, with whom you can talk about everything and with whom you just interesting and easy. I read somewhere one statement about friends. Probably it sounds too hard, but anyway: “…friend is holding your hand and feeling your heart”.

What I miss from my hometown

I was in Chicago since 2007, even though it wasn't a long time to stay a foreign place, whenever I alawys miss something about my hometown. Frist of all, Chicago's weather made me miss my hometown's weather that is warm and dry and even in the winter. Secondly, I miss the scenery. There have many old forts. These forts symbolize thousnd of years of history and it's along the river. Also, both sides of the river have many willows. I liked to read, play chess under these willows. Finally, I like the local foods. These foods are cooked with traditional methods and extremely delicious and make me unforgettable. Chinese Herb Tea, Beef Chow Fun, Tofu Square are all my the missest foods. Overall, I was homsick for the everything and for my friends, the place is where it makes me the truest feelings.

My Sister

I have a big family in Chicago. In my family I have two older sister, two younger brother,one younger sister and my parents. My younger sister is the most interesting in my family. She is the funniest of my family, because she always make me smile. When I unhappy, she will get me happy. When I happy, she will happier than me . She always do funny things. She is fifteen years old girl. She is studying in a high school . She studies very well at school. To our joy, she won first prize at school . My sister looks like me. She has my nose. She character as same as mine. I love her . She always make us filled with joy. She is a nice girl and always help people. I'll never forget here.

My best day in Chicago

That was a perfect day! Everything went right. That was on September 5,2008. I need go to work in the afternoon. So, I didn't need get up early. When I woke up, my mother was calling me. She said she found my keys in her backbag. I was so surprise could found my keys. Because I forgot where I left them. And I though I couldn't found it. So I know I would be at work on time drive car. I drove at normal speed, and I didn't have to stop at a single red light. Finally, I got to work a little early. My boss was so impressed with me. She gave me a raise in salary.

Not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard. -narrative, R.kei-

Not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard.

When people overcome difficulty, they get more achievement. I learned this precept when I was traveling in Nepal. All Korean men must do a military service for two years. I also had a military service. When I finished that, I decided to go to some place very high. I don’t know why I thought that at that time. Maybe I felt heavy, so I just wanted to go to the high place. I gathered information, and I decided to go Mt. Everest in Nepal. Finally I arrived to Pokara which is starting town to trek, and I started to trek without hesitation. It was good, but not easy. There are great mountain sceneries, and people who are kind and friendly. But it’s so exhausting. Sometimes I had to walk for ten hours a day, and I stayed alone in a lodge without electric or any hot water. One day I asked myself. “Why am I here, why am I trekking?” But I couldn’t answer even with the amazing landscapes. I met a man who was coming back from the peak when I was asking myself for a few days. We talked a whole night about trekking, beautiful mountains, and kindly people. Finally I asked him, “Why did you come here? Why did you climb?” He thought a few seconds, and he started to talk. He said that climbing mountains is very valuable. Not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard. And he continued. “We can’t learn something when do easy things. We learn something when we get over difficulties.” I felt a shock. It was a perfect answer that I tried to find for days. Difficulty is not a subject to avoid, it is a subject to enjoy and to overcome. Next day we separated. I went up, and he went down. Finally I arrived to my destination, the base camp. When I arrived and looked around, I totally understood his words. I felt amazing and an unbelievable feeling. It didn’t mean just a beautiful scene. I could feel something special. Now I know that feeling. It is a feeling of achievement. Since that trip, my attitude about difficulty has changed. I don’t give up easy because I know that I’d get a value when I accomplish a difficulty.