monologue—Jincheng Tang
Posted by j.tang3 on October 20, 2014Jincheng Tang
How time flies! It has already been my first mid-term of college life. As marks of ”Due Day” piles on my calendar, I have gradually felt the stress of college life. Since I have been in the United States for about 2 months, I would like to share some of my feelings during these days.
First, I have gradually been accustomed to the life here. I still remember the first day when I arrived at school, I was exhausted. It is really a long journey from my home to school. First, I need to take the Long Island Rail Road for about 30 minutes to the Penn Station. Then, I need to walk for about 20 minutes to the school. It is not easy for a person who lacks exercise like me. But during the two months, it has become easier for me. Every day, I walk on the road I gradually get familiar with, listening to the music I like. I can now recognize the road to school without referring to the map. Also, walking for such a long time every day is also good exercise for me. What’s more, I have explored some good restaurants near the school. Some of them are Chinese restaurants, which makes me feel like at home.
Second, I gradually get used to the class here. English is the prime barrier for me at class. Because I just arrived here, sometimes it is a little difficult for me to follow the professors here. But they are all kind hearted and willing to answer my questions after class. Also, studying here requires good skills of time management and self-control. Here, the professors give me my own space to study. Each course I am taking now requires writing essays, so I need to arrange my time for each courses and for the writing center. Not to be a nerd, I also want to have my club time as well. So I need to achieve a balance between them, too. Here, the professors do not check whether students do the reading assigned every time, so it is also important for me to have self-control. Each time I want to play my phone, I just think of why I am here and turn off my phone. It is hard for me at first because I cares about what’s happening on facebook all the time. But later, as I think of my responsibility, I can control myself without parents’ supervision.
Finally, I do not feel as lonely as I just came here. I met very nice people both from class and clubs. We sometimes talk about the problems that we face in class and the discussions really help. Each person has different thought and thus my thoughts are expanded. Also, I always have lunch and go to library with them, which adds more fun.
My college has just started, and there are more than I expected waiting for me to explore.