Lost in Translation

Lost in Translation

Some people think when they move to a new country, it’s very hard for them to live in a new environment. They believe they will lose lovers, family, friendships, relatives, education, culture, business and freedom. They also trust all of them while they lose these, they cannot find it anymore. However, when I lost my Chinese
environment, language and food, I can gain many new things from the culture of Chicago right now. Moreover, I feel I am very lucky and I am a happy person in the world.

Firstly, a good environment makes me full of confidence to study hard. When I was an elementary school student in China, I went to school to do my homework that was very hard for me. At school there were no computers, no library, no bright lights or quiet environment. Our classroom was near the street, and it only had a broken chair, a dark desk and blackboard. I really didn’t want to study at that school, so I gave up. Here, I am not only having these study tools, but also having tutors at school to help me with my English. Not only do I have tutors, but I also have a good learning environment. Not only do I have a good learning environment in school, but also I can make all kind of friends from different countries to help me. I believe this environment is a good way for me to study, and it will change my life.

Secondly, language gives me courage. In China, I felt I was a perfect person because I could express myself exactly. For example, I could use fluent Cantonese and Mandarin to talk with people and tell them what I think, what I want and what I need. I really like those feelings they gave me because it was very easy to talk or explain my ideas to people. Here, although I speak Cantonese, I feel I am a blind, deaf and dumb person. Meanwhile, when I see some English information, I don’t know what means is. When people talk to me, I have no idea what they are talking about, and when I am trying to say something, I don’t know how to use my basic English to express myself to people. As a result, I need to speak English with my friends, teachers, and especially when I go shopping. My English is very poor, and it’s not enough for me to do everything. I remember the last time I went shopping and wanted to buy something, but I didn’t know how to speak English to the worker and have no idea what I was trying to say. I have been feeling great shame since I moved here. From those times on, I promise myself I must study hard and get more knowledge to improve myself. Even though right now my English is poor, I feel full of courage to study because I don’t want those things that are I don’t understand what people talking about happen to me again.

Finally, I can taste all kind of delicious foods in Chicago. In China, I ate fresh vegetables, meat, fish and fruit come from supermarket. At the same time, I also picked some fresh vegetables from the field. I believe they were very fresh, healthy, and have a home feeling for me. However, in China, I had a small choice. In Chicago, I can eat all kind of food like American, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, Indian, French, Mexican and Philippine. Eating these foods in Chicago, are not only delicious for me, but also their prices are cheaper than in China. Not only are they cheaper, but also I can taste them and know a little bit about another country’s foods and cultures. I feel I am very happy that I can taste ethnic foods in Chicago that I never tasted in China.

Moving to a new country gives me a lot of things to think about. For instance, I need to think about my friends, family, culture, holidays, benefits and characters. Furthermore, in my life, I feel the most important things I need to think about is where I live or study to improve my life, what I want to say or how to explain my opinions to people exactly and how to taste those delicious food. Especially, I need to think about I do really learn or get some new things from them.