How moving from China to America changed my life as a teenager
I cannot say that I enjoyed my first year in American high school very much. However, the story of transitioning to a new place is also the story of transitioning into a new self, who I owe thanks to right now. 讲真，我并不享受来美国念高中的第一年。但是，在适应新环境的过程中，我也发现了新的自己。这点让我非常感激。
When I was fourteen, my mum remarried and brought me to a new country, the United States, the very first time. With my parents divorced when I was little, I had no choice but to follow my mother’s step to America, as no one would be taking care of me back in China. My mother was the only person that I knew there, and at the same time, I had to live with the new stepfather and his daughter under the same roof. The new life in the US was nothing that I thought I was getting myself into.
在十四岁的时候，我的妈妈再婚，然后带我移民到了美国。这是我第一次踏上这片陌生的土地。我父母离婚的时候我还很小，没有其他的家人可以继续在中国照顾我。所以我没有其他的选择，只能追随妈妈一起搬到了美国。在这里，我妈妈是我唯一认识的人。同时，我和我的继父还有他的女儿在一个屋檐下生活。在美国的“新生活”是我从未预想过的将来。
I was born and raised in Shenzhen, the fourth largest and developed city in China. I moved to Bellevue Washington, where despite its proximity to Seattle, the suburban town was nothing compared to Shenzhen. The first thing that hit me was the inconvenience of transportation. Without a car, my mother and I both relied on the stepfather to take us out. When he was at work, we were stuck at home. The bus never came exactly on time. Even casual grocery shopping or a trip for boba tea is an over twenty-minute walk.
我出生和长大在深圳，这是中国第四大发达城市。我搬到了华盛顿州的贝尔维尤，虽然这里离西雅图很近，但就繁华程度跟深圳完全没法比。我第一个不适应的点就是交通不便。没有车，我和我妈妈都只能依赖继父出行。他去上班的时候，我们只能待在家里。公交车也不是非常准点。哪怕去超市购物或者去买杯奶茶都要走路20分钟以上。
The suburban life is like a bottle of tasteless water that keeps you alive but with no fun. The malls in town were so small and basic compared to the ones back in China. The restaurants and shops all close before midnight. The neighbors were nice yet only limited to the extent of fake simile and say hi. I did not like this life at all and have questioned my mother over and over why she chose to move to the States.
这种郊区生活让我感觉非常平淡无奇。相对中国的商场，市中心的商场规模很小，而且货品种类很少。餐厅和商场也都在半夜前就关门。邻居们很友好，但是也仅限于打个照面说声你好的关系。我非常不喜欢这样的生活，不断的质问我妈妈为什么搬来这个地方。
I did not know before school started, my real challenges had yet to come. Entering school as a sophomore, I did not know anyone. The first day in class, I was challenged by limited English vocabulary and was barely able to follow in lecture. Of course, I did not make any friends, as I was too timid to start a conversation and was too embarrassed to talk with my broken English. Coming home frustrated and disappointed, I broke into tears and could not hold my composure. Always had been one of the top students in class, I could not imagine myself being tortured at school and falling behind in class.
那时，我还不知道真正的挑战在高中开学后才开始。十年级的第一天，我不认识学校的任何人。我的英语能力非常有限，完全跟不上课程的节奏。当然，我也没交上新朋友。我太害羞，不敢用我支离破碎的英语去和别人讲话。回到家的时候，我非常沮丧和灰心，很快就忍不住哭了起来。在国内，我一直是班上成绩比较好的学生，我从来没想到学校会变成一种“折磨”，使我落后于其他同学。
Things were slightly getting better though. As time went by, I was able to use what I heard from others conversation to introduce a topic, which helped me greatly in making friends. By looking up new words in the textbook and lecture slides, I was able to follow up with lecture and actually did well on all the homework and quizzes. Halfway through the semester, I was even asked by a group of friends and a cute boy to take me to a school dance！
但是情况逐渐变好了。渐渐的，我可以听懂别人的对话然后发起自己的话题，这点让我开始有新的朋友。学习教科书和老师幻灯片里的新词汇，我慢慢的可以跟上老师上课的节奏，并且高质量的完成作业和考试。半学期过去了，我居然被一群朋友和一个可爱的男孩邀请去学校的舞会！
I guess there is always an adaptive and persistent side of me that I have never seen. School and life were too easy for me back in China, and I never had the chance to practice the skill of blending into a new environment or to make an active effort to make friends or to painstakingly go through all the course materials word by word. Together with the life transition to the United States, I also transitioned into a more mature and better version of myself, someone who is persistent and strong.
我想，其实骨子里我特别倔强，而且适应力很强。这是我以前从未发现过的。在中国的学习和生活对我来讲相对比较简单，而且我从来没有机会去锻炼自己去融入一个新的环境，去交新的朋友，或者去一个词一个词的看教程。在适应美国生活的过程中，我也逐渐成长为一个更成熟、坚韧和强悍的人，一个更好的自己。
By the end of my shortened three-year high school career, I was admitted to Cornell University. I graduated with a big group of friends, a dream school offer, perfect GPA, and a matured self. Looking back into my life, I owe many thanks to my mother who brought me to the US and who gave me a chance to discover a new city and a new side of me. In my senior pictures, I had a big smile on my face, in my graduation gown with colorful tassels, surrounded by friends who went through ups and downs with me. I was truly prepared to tackle challenges in the future, as I know I have all the resources and support when I need them.
高中三年很快就过去了，我顺利被康奈尔大学录取。毕业的时候，我有很多朋友，梦校录取，完美的GPA，和成熟的崭新的自己。回看以前的生活，我非常感谢妈妈带我来到美国，给我一个机会去发现新的城市和新的自我。在我十二年级的照片里，我穿着毕业服，在朋友的拥簇下笑的特别开心。这次，我真的准备好去面对将来的各种挑战，因为我拥有了战胜这些挑战所要的资源和支持。
Now, in my sophomore year at Cornell, it has been exactly four years since I moved to the States. At this point of my life, I honestly cannot say where is home for me. My families are separated by the Pacific Ocean, while I am on the other side of America far away from them. In some sense, everywhere is home for me, as I know I can offer myself the security and care that I need wherever I go and can always make new friends and ask them for support. I know that in this world I am not alone and that I have all it takes to adapt to new environments and become more mature and more skilled as I go.
现在，我是康奈尔大学大二的学生，距离我搬来美国整整四年。我有时候也不知道哪里是我的家。我在美国，我和我的家人被太平洋隔离。从某些意义上来讲，到处都是我的家，因为我知道不管到了哪里，我现在可以给自己足够的安全感，也可以照顾好自己，去建立新的朋友圈，得到朋友的支持。我知道在这个世界，我并不孤独，我有能力去适应新的环境，变得更成熟。
Siming, is a content creator @Mascot. She is studying Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cornell University.
Mascot is a free IOS app designed to connect college applicants in group chats. Find the right groups for each college you are applying to and meet your future classmates today!
