Hey, I am Meiling!

It might surprise you to know that I am Chinese Korean who just came to America two and half years ago. My experience of studying in both Chinese and American high schools has gradually shaped me into a diligent and malleable person. When I was attending junior high school in China, I had to go to school at seven every morning and go back home around ten at night. “Weekends” only existed in dreams. Living under pressures of high competitions led by large population, we studied desperately in order to win others. I still remember one of my junior high school teachers told us “if you don’t study when everyone else do, you will fall behind others.” I started studying because of enthusiastic environment surrounded me that everyone was studying and everyone told me to study. Nevertheless, little by little, I realize that I am getting education not for floating with others but for enriching myself. Though coming to America has brought me hard obstacles in adapting different language and culture, it gifted me a lot of changes and chances which I had never dreamed of before, such as club activities and volunteer opportunities. I absorbed a lot of Chinese and Korean cultures progressively since I was little, and will continuously retain them, yet I won’t block myself from imbibing new cultures. I wish I could get rid of my timidness and spur myself to get involved in more various extracurricular activities with diverse people, so that I could get in touch with different cultures while I am attending college.