LC 14

The day we went to see Charles Li speak, i thought it was actually really fun. I read his book and i thought it was spectacular because it some parts related to my life. When i saw him speak that day, i thought it was like seeing someone famous. I wanted to go up to the stage and shake his hand just because i thought he was so cool. The questions that people asked him were also really good ones. When he answered them, i thought his answers were very interesting. he was also very down to earth and i like that a lot.

I thought the speech was pretty interesting. I feel like a lot of the workshops at Baruch are about finding yourself. Charles Li’s speech was also about finding oneself. He talked about his experiences and how he found his inner identity. He mentioned that as you grow older you go through many experiences, which get you closer and closer to finding out who you really are. The college experience has definitely had an effect on me. I find myself finding out more and more about myself each and every day. I hope to gain a deeper understanding of who I really am throughout my years at Baruch.

His mic wasn’t on too loud so i couldn’t understand what he was saying so clearly. But basically, he was talking all about finding yourself and your identity. They said something that i thought would make a really good quote. I think it was said by the dean of hispanic and asian studies. I’m not too sure, but somebody definitely said it: “We’re born with few identities. As we grow older, we acquire new identities.” When they said that, I was like “woah, that’s totally true!” So i was like “maybe i haven’t found my identity yet.” So i guess that’s another thing to add to my To-do list. But I felt like that was pretty true and accurate. As a baby, we’re molded into similar people as our family. In high school, most people try to keep up with the crowd, so that’s still not a true identity. We don’t begin to come into our own until adulthood so probably in our 20’s? well yeah. That was pretty cool, I thought.

So i wont state the obvious here by saying we couldn’t hear a word that Charles Li said when he was on stage. I also wont say it was very difficult to pay attention when we can’t hear the speaker. So let me begin in a different way

Only one speech caught my attention. The one at the far right who started talking about soldering.The two stories he told seemed interesting from what i could remember. I could see how those stories relate to what Charles went through. Stories of hardship can always relate to one another, even if the experiences are different. I guess the workshop was interesting in a way. All of those people come on stage and share their stories of woe and hardship. It would be difficult to share your own experiences when you know nothing about how others would judge it. It does seem that those on stage are worthy of respect just for being able to do something so far removed from normal human nature.

I didn’t really understand the point of what the people were talking about, but I understood that they were reflecting on the hard times that they’ve been through, and that one’s journey in life is to find out about who they really are.  No one can tell anyone who they’re supposed to be, though society dictates this sometimes and makes those who don’t conform feel alienated, people should be who they want to be, not who society or anyone else wants them to be.

It was also cool that Charles Li took time out of his life to come down to talk to us.  What he has told us in his book was somewhat admirable in a way because it was looked down upon for children to obey the wishes of their fathers, as he had done.  He had also found himself amongst all of the chaos in his life.

Hii,

To be honest, I really didn’t get much out of that workshop. Partly because I wasn’t listening, partly because when I was I couldn’t hear/understand much of what they were saying. But what I did understand was the emphasis on one’s personal journey to finding themselves. One of the teachers who spoke mentioned that college was the perfect forum for self-discovery, and I couldn’t agree more. I have already learned so much about who I am and who I want to become.

Maybe I can write down my journey to self-discovery and turn it into a book. TOTALLY KIDDING! I’m sure my journey won’t be as interesting and captivating as Charles Li’s. But that’s okay; my journey will captivate me and the people who will see me grow as an adult.

It’s amazing though to think about how every decision you make, no matter how big or little, will shape who you are and who you will become. It’s something to keep in mind…

To be honest, I was a little dazed because I was still sick during the 1st workshop. But I do remember Charles Li talking about finding your identity. It is hard to find your true self when you are going through so many things, especially if you’re moving from China to the U.S. like Charles Li did. He also talked about remembering what reality is about. Not everything would be just the way you wanted it to be, so accept it. ^^ I felt glad that Li Na was able to achieve what he wanted in life. It took him a while to get to this point, but I’m sure it was worth the trip. The other commentators also stressed on the importance of finding your own self. There is no sense in trying to change yourself to suit others, just be yourself and everything will work out. There’s no need to stress about what other people think of you.

I honestly can say that my life is too easy compared to what Charles Li went through in his life. I really enjoyed reading his book The Bitter Sea. When I saw him in person, I was really happy. If I just saw him on the street without knowing who he is, I would have never pictured his life to be as though as it was, he looked like such a nice and happy guy. I idolize him and think he is an amazing person that lived a very exciting but hard life. I guess what he has gone through helped shape who he is. I’m glad that he succeeded in life and now that he’s retired from being a dean of the University of California, maybe he can enjoy his life.