Be Part of It

 Yilu Li 

ESL 100 

October 15, 2023 

Be Part of It 

It is hard to live a new life in the United States as a Chinese person. Chinese and Americans have totally different culture and behavior. Because of the difference between these two countries, I have had to give up many things to fit into this new society. I did not know I would have to do this to live my life in the United States. Although I do not think I am totally getting used to this city, I have also gained some things that I did not have before. Now, I have a very different life from my old life, and I have tried hard to achieve that. 

I knew that I would have different life in the United States before I came to this country, but what I did not know was I had to give up some things and try very hard to adapt. Sometimes, I had to try hard to fit into society because I felt I was too different from others. In the first couple days I came to the United States, I was shocked by peoples’ lunch style. Many of the Americans just go to the fast-food restaurant or eat some sandwich that they buy from the store. When I was in China, people had many choices for lunch. They would not just eat fast food or a sandwich. Instead, Chinese people prefer to eat rice with meat and vegetables. After lunch, Chinese people have one or two hours break to rest and sleep for a while. Chinese people believe that sleeping after lunch can give them energy to work on the rest of the day, but most Americans do not have live their lives like this. I felt very strange at the beginning, but now I know because Americans have rushed schedule. Now, I just live like an American and finish my lunch very quickly. I do not have much time to enjoy the meal because I have to go to work after class. In this case, I have had to give up those things to fit in and live my life. 

            Living in the United States is not always giving up things from my old life, but I also gained some things that I did not have before. Confidence is one example. I was a shy and unconfident person when I was in China. Since I came to the United States, I felt many people are confident and proud of themselves. As time passed by, I have learned a lot from them that I should always be proud of myself and desire good things in life. I love this attitude. Another thing is education. In the United States, people can be anyone they want to be and study anything they want to study, even if you are fifty years old. A lot of people choose to go back to school to learn new things to start their new lives at any age. On the other hand, society requires people to stick on their work and work hard to get the goal in China, even if they do not like it. In China, many people think that if a person changes a lot in their life, it means their life is unstable. I like the way Americans did. Life is limited, but what we can do is limitless. It changed the way I look at the world. 

My life in Chicago is not as easy as my life in China, but I still like it. Although I have to give up things to get what I want, I also have gained a lot that I learned from Americans. Even though I have not gotten used to the new life, I am trying to fit into the society and be part of it. I believe I can do it. It just about time and how hard that I try.