Loneliness is Not All that We Have Got

After I come to the United States, I have experienced the variety of emotions. The feeling I have encountered the most is loneliness. Even though I have made a lot of friends from all over the world here, and people are nice to me, I still miss my family and Taiwan. Just as Andini Alya mentions “Living abroad gives you the strange feeling of not belonging anywhere,” most of the international students, including me, are struggling to assimilate into American cultures while persevering our own backgrounds. Alya’s article has accurately reflected my feeling and thoughts about studying abroad, and I really appreciate her for trying to convey the bitter side of studying abroad but not just the glamorous side.

Since we all international students have spent tons of money coming to UCSB to pursue education, I recommend we should expand our horizon by getting out of the comfort zone of friendship. I understand that hanging out with people from the same background is comfortable, but then we should also try to build our networks by making friends with all those foreigners. It’s going to be tough at first. As time goes by, we will find it easier to communicate with them and understand their thinking process, which will be an excellent experience for us.

For those international students who are planning to attend UCSB in the future, I will tell you that the four years at college is going to be one of the best memories in your life. It is for sure that there are lots of things going to fail to meet your expectation, such as the ocean at UCSB, but it is the experiences and people you meet that will make you appreciate the decisions you have made. College life is a journey mixes with challenges and happiness. Sadness, disappointment, despair, and loneliness are definitely going to knock us down (especially after Econ’s exams), but we have to get back up again because there are plenty of awesome experiences right there waiting for us to explore.