Freshman Seminar – Spring 2015, DTD

When I graduated from high school, I felt happy that four years of high school is finally over, school teachers made me feel so tired, even I don’t do homework most of the time.  All the friends graduated with me the same year, they looks pretty sure about which college they planing to attend, some choose to join military, and i was still wondering where am i heading next.

I was off the whole year when i graduated, during this year, I feel helplessness, hopelessness, and loneliness.  I tried to find a job that i can financially support myself, but lack of experience won’t let me work longer, I changed several jobs, and i didn’t find any job that was well paid, i felt tired, and I don’t think I’m ready to start a career yet.

A few weeks later, I applied four colleges as i did before, but this time, i got accepted some colleges, I am so excited, But i choose the most difficult senior college Baruch, I don’t know how long I can survive in this college, I was so worried, until now, I’m still worried about will i get kick out of college, But college feels much better than work. so i made a wise decision.

Just like many of you, I decided to make my monologue regarded my arrival in America too. And since many of you chose to talk about this, I think you may understand that this was a very big thing about me.

Coming to U.S was for sure the most difficult decision that I ever had to make in my life. I mean, studying here was my dream since I was 15, but for someone who never lived away from the family and had everything ready from her parents was certainly hard.

I remember the days when my visa to come here was approved and I should started packing because a week later I had to be at school. I had finally gotten what I always wanted but I wasn’t excited as I had always imagined to be .I kept doubting everything and asking myself for every single day if this is what I really wanted. I guess because I was afraid of all the changes that were about to happen in my life.

Now that I’m here, I ask myself another question: If I ever regret the decision that I made. Of course I don’t. If I would give everything away because of my fear, I would still be in my small city, going in the same places, doing the same things and experiencing nothing new. I don’t regret coming in New York because in such a short time I feel like I have learned many things. Most importantly, I have learned that things are not as easy as they seem when you are alone and you have to do them on your own. But they are also not impossible to do either.

I am here, an incredible city

Empire State, Statue of Liberty

A place where dream start and raise

Just like LEGO, dream is built by yourself, no one else

Here, it’s not only a place for dream

Indeed, it’s a place you can achieve dream by pace

No matter the pain or the money game, I stand still, refuse the greedy silhouette

Remember this second home give you happiness

Undoubtedly, this is NYC, my second home, sweet home.

Although almost all my friends know i like soccer ball, i like watching basketball at the same time .  In China, basketball is the most popular sport for the teenagers, and most of us will be proud of watching a NBA game if we watch in the basketball court and face to face some famous basketball players.

I will remember Nov. 15th. 2014, the date is the first time for me to watch a basketball game . In the past, I just saw these famous basketball player on television or online , however, i was extremely excited and delighted while i was seeing Kelvin Garnett, Joe Johnson, Derron Williams, Maxi Lopez and Plumlee . In particular, i like KG the best, his pass , shot and blocks all attract me and i was enjoying myself during the game. Regretfully, I have not take a picture with KG, but i was satisfied so.

Hitherto, i am going to make a schedule to watch a soccer game, like the New York FC, which team David Villa plays for now and more sports games.

Sports is an important part in my life now, and i am enjoyable while playing and watching it.

What should you write about in a monologue like this? It is a tough question from me. I want to be clever, I want to be original and make sure that what I do, is not something trivial. The problem with having clever topics in a monologue is that they tend to be very long, and this is not supposed to be a long monologue. What other subjects can I write about?

Too many people are talking about how their trip to New York, so that will not make me original. I was thinking of having a grandiose subject that will make everyone that reads it smarter. I quickly put that idea to rest as it is far easier said than done. So should I write about Sweden? No, too far fetch and rather boring. Too soon my readers will figure out Sweden for a small and nice country, filled with schools and hospitals, all paid by tax dollars of course.

So I ended up writing a trivial text, maybe original but definitely trivial. This text will probably not have a huge impact on society and will not fundamentally change any of my readers. I am also not sure if this text will be read at all? If you have read this text you can tell me next FRO-class.

Thank You!

This is my first time to live alone in NYC. When I was ‘controlled’ by my parents, I was thinking about the day I can live alone. However, when the day is really coming, I feel nervous and I realize that I will face a lot of questions that I may not have ability to solve it. Although, I hope I can always be happy and keep running to my future.

I walk, and as I walk I Breath,

deep, clean, crisp.

This is what I call home.

My skin becomes sticky from the ocean mist,

clinging to every skin cell and infusing in me the essence of this land.

How I miss this place,

My land, my home, my love.

The people, oh the people,

how they love with hearts overflowing,

Will ensure that our culture,

Is one that will become your dwelling.

So sit and understand why all of this praise is given to,

My land, my home, my love.

With vegetation so rich, and culture so deeply rooted,

It’s no wonder why this island is everyone’s choosing.

From dancing and singing in colors of red, green and gold,

To relaxing under the sun, toes in the sand, with a drink ice cold.

There is no place i’d rather be than,

enjoying the sweet melodies of

My Land, my home, my love…………….. Grenada.

This is a package came from one of my best friends in Taiwan. When I received this package, I felt so touched. And this package really meaningful to me.

Fortunately, my friends didn’t forget me, on the contrast, they encouraged me not to afraid of the new life in America. They sent me packages and told me they miss me so much and really want to listen to my stories in USA.

*The first picture is my last summer in China.( I miss them!)

People in the second one are my new friends in my first school in U.S..

The third one is the first snow in my life!

I came here one year ago. It was winter.After one week passed, I saw the first snow in my life!I was so excited and made a big smile-snow-face. Then I stared this car and kept a long silent, I realized that it’s a different environment, a different world and would be a different life. ” Are you ready to embrace your new life?”

However, the truth is, life is tough at the beginning. Maybe it is because the winter here is too cold and too long, and it even makes me afraid of snowing. I began to miss my city where I have friends who I grew up with, I have my families who I can trust mostly and I have lots of foods that I am familiar with. I have home there, but I just have a house here.

Then, lucky for me, I found a school and met new friends there. It’s easier to go forward without loneliness. I gradually got used to my new life——hang out with new friends, try to do different kinds of jobs to expand my horizon and plan several trips to embrace nature and diverse cultures. Those 8 months went  past in the blink of an eye, I realized that I have to plan my future——college is clearly the first step to go. So I spent two months from memorizing new vocabularies to finishing SAT, and luckily I cam to Baruch!( I thought that was the busiest time within 20 years, but now I admit the first semester is the winner! ⊙﹏⊙)

It is not easy for some international students to handle their complicated situations. They need to balance integrating new environment and keeping touch with old life. Sometimes they will have a sense of distance from their old friends and feel tired to adapt themselves to the new life. Nonetheless, they keep their passions to challenge and achieve their dreams, no matter how this feeling of not belonging will make them depressed.

Because most of them are dreamers!

New York, USA
First time come to the new place where is different from my birthplace,
I hardly express my feelings in words.
When I move to the new place, no one understands my loneliness, and no one understands why I’m so brave.
Why do I move to here?Family?Study? Or others?
I think that study is the most significant issues that I move to here.
I know that from then on, I have to learn many new things, and face many problems in life.
From then on, life is full of various challenges, and there are no any excuses that I can give up.
In order to hide my loneliness and fear, I always keep smiling.
Otherwise, when I go back to my home country during holidays, I myself don’t want to come back to here.
Don’t ask me the reasons, as I don’t know how to explain why I will like that.
On the other hand,
I am thankful, for I can gain new life experience.
For example, I can make friends with different countries.
Also, I can learn various cultures from them.
Every time, I am trying to be a New Yorker: play hard, work hard.
And I ask myself “Is this my home?”
Yet, no clear answer ever comes up to my mind.
I hope one day I will know the answer.
No matter how things are going on in the future, I believe that everything will be ok at the end. If it is not ok, it’s not the end.