Life In a Foreign Country

When I read this post, I have the same feeling with her. I strongly appreciate the point she mentioned that ‘Loneliness is life’s worst punishment.’ I still remembered that afternoon when I was preparing my new quarter and cleaning my dorm, and, suddenly I can’t help crying. A sense of loneliness overwhelmed me and I felt like that I was abandoned by this world. When I calmed down later, I learnt that loneliness can’t be avoidable. As an adult, it is necessary for a person to overcome loneliness because he or she needs to walk alone in the rest of life. Parents, friends, colleagues will not accompanies him or her forever. Only people who are mentally strong can survive in this world. So do I. Since then, although sometimes I suffer from loneliness, I try my best to accept it and enjoy it. Although I still need friends to help me in the living and studying, I am more independent than I used to be.

I will give the following two advice to future international students coming to UCSB, especially for students who study in Chinese high school:

America is not as good as what your parents describe.

Undoubtedly, America is a developed country and it is advanced in education. However, life is not so convenient. As a person who likes taking public transportation to go around, I felt disappointed when I first came to Santa Barbara. I have to wait at least 40 minutes to go to the nearest market and even worse, there are just about 5 cars around the town when I order a Uber or a Left. Now, I am getting used to this lifestyle and I realized that having a car is extremely important.

Study and life are equally important.

As I mentioned before, education is undeniable awesome. Nice professors and courses worth students to spend their youth studying. When it comes to weekend, it is also obligatory to walk around the university to enjoy the nature. When someone gets enough relax, he or she will devote more efforts on their work. In addition, when we were at home, we did not need to worry about daily life because parents will help us. However, when you study abroad alone, it does not only mean that you need to study well, but also mean that you need to live well. Learning how to balance study and life is really a meaningful lesson to learn.

Although adapting into a new environment needs a long time and it is not easy, finally we will be used to this life.