Nothing and Everything

Alina Kiptenko

ESL 100

October 13, 2023

 

Nothing and Everything

Since I arrived in the US last year, I stopped fitting into a society. I didn’t pay attention to this fact because I didn’t belong to this society. At first, everything seemed like a long vacation where everyone smiles you and shows respect. However, after I spent the first month here, the image of a perfect country, where everything is possible, started to collapse. Being a foreign person in Chicago, I faced many challenges that absolutely changed my life and divided it into before and after.

At first, I found everything here mesmerizing.  I wanted to try everything that American people had. I don’t know what the purpose for this action was. Maybe it was just my attempt to fit this society. After several months, I started realizing I liked everything and nothing in this country at the same time. I always keep the image of the prosperous US in my mind, but usually face various disadvantages here. At first a cultural shock accompanied me all time. Before immigrating, I had never thought that the English language might be annoying to hear. Sometimes I have noticed that people speak loudly in English. Even though they are on the train, surrounded by other people, some passengers can discuss some weird things loudly. To sum up, since moving to the US I haven’t been able to fit into this new life because I am not able to understand the meaning of small talk. In my opinion, it is great to have small conversations with strangers in order to show respect to them, ask about their days, or even give compliments. However, I often see people who even don’t look at strangers’ eyes. In my opinion, I don’t think I will ever fit for my new life because I can’t understand how a person can show respect without any visual contact.  

Moreover, since moving to Chicago, many regular things have started to change. Previously, I tried to use old behavior patterns that I used in Russia to figure out some problems or stressful situations here. I didn’t succeed because it was a invalid strategy to pull previous knowledges to the new life. As soon as I realized it, my life started developing in a new interesting way. My vision of the world absolutely changed by accepting people who came from different regions of the world. Overall, the US made me a people person by showing a huge variety of people from different countries, religions, and cultures. Furthermore, I have gained a healthy habit since I moved to Chicago. Even if I don’t feel myself belonging to the new society, I absolutely belong to the nature. In Russia I was not able to enjoy nature in the city, but in Chicago, there are many parks and areas for a walking or picnics. Despite the noisy environment and people speaking loudly, I have been able to gain calmness in one of the biggest cities in the US. 

In conclusion, after one year of living here I have incorporated many new things into my new life to fit this society more. I have faced many struggles that every immigrant has to become strong enough for every society that I belong. The experience that I have been receiving during living in the US is crucial for both sides of me because it represents my personal growth, achievements, and self-development. In addition, this experience shows me that many obstacles in my life were successfully overcame.