Out of my country

 

Out of my country

I find that I have become good at pretending since I moved to Chicago six months ago. Every time my grandmother calls me and asks how my life is going in Chicago, I always have a single answer. I tell her that I feel everything is good here and I have adapted to the life here rapidly. I have also lied to her. In fact, I think that it is hard for a person to adapt to and accept everything in a new country in such a short time, especially for a person like me who had lived in one country for more than twenty years and never went abroad. It is difficult for me to put aside my previous customs and accept a new lifestyle in a new country.

This year is my first time that have not celebrated Chinese traditional festival in China, like Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and the most important festival-Chinese New Year. In China, people have different greeting phrases to celebrate each festival. For example, we do not say “Happy Dragon Boat Festival.” Instead, we say “Duan Wu An Kang” because the history behind this festival is not happy. In addition, during Chinese New Year, it is not enough to just say “Happy New Year” to give others a sincere wish. People always say more phrases like “gong xi fa cai” and “wang shi ru yi.” However, because of the language barrier and cultural differences, I don’t know how to explain the meaning of these wishes. Even though I can use a translator to translate these phrases, I think their meanings are similar but not identical. For example, the Chinese phrase “gong xi fa cai” is literately translated into “congratulations and hope people be rich”. In fact, it not only just wishes someone wealth, but it also implies some wishes like good luck and success in all parts of life. I am tired of explaining some cultural things. People cannot deeply understand the history or real meaning of these. The lack of the same feeling as other people makes me lost in translation.

Having a life in Chicago is not as bad as I imagined. Perhaps it is because of a very different history or culture influence, I think the attitude towards life in the United States is different from China. The greeting method of many Americans is passionate and enthusiastic. For many Americans, hugging is a common form of greeting or showing love, especially among friends and family. It is like a warm and friendly gesture. Americans hug to show care, love, or happiness when they meet each other. Because of the cultural difference and social custom, the way of expressing emotions may be more indirect and restrained in China. Chinese people often keep their emotions more private. We sometimes just nod, smile, and shake hands when we meet others. I seldom hug my friends when we meet each other, even if we haven’t seen each other for a long time and miss each other very much. I think getting a hug from friends or family must be a warm thing. What’s more, saying I love you is very easy for Americans. They are very willing to express their love to their family and friends. I never say I love you to my parents, neither do my parents. I am shy to express love to them directly. Maybe my parents also think so. We prefer to convey love through actions rather than words. Nevertheless, I really like the way that Americans can express their love bravely and in a straightforward manner. Sometimes, even if actions make people feel warm, the word I love you can strike people's hearts more directly.

The culture is definitely different between the United States and China. As a Chinese person, it might be a rough time for me to accept the lifestyle here. However, I clearly know that if I want to participate in life here, I have to try to accept some new thing. I cannot change other things. The only one thing I can do is change myself. Most Chinese immigrants tell me that time would help me to adapt everything here. Time is always the best medicine.