I come from Madera, a small town located in the northern California. It is approximately four and a half hours from Riverside. When selecting what college I wanted to attend, I did not pay attention to the distance, I just thought of what they offered and if I liked the campus. Anxious to start college early, I decided to apply to the Highlander Early Start Program. I did not expect to get in because I heard that not everyone got into the program due to the limited amount of professors teaching for the program. It was a hot summer day in early July. I never checked my R’Mail, but for some reason I decided to check it, and when I opened it I saw on email from the Early Start Program informing me about my acceptance to the Program. It was that day that my life changed because I was going to start college early.. At first I was filled with joy and excitement …show more content…
Reality hit me once I had to pack all my important belongings such as my cloths and room utilities. Once I started to gather everything, I felt weird because I only had a limit of two suit cases to pack all of my essentials.While packing I started thinking of the times I had been far from home but could not think of one because I had never left my house, only for vacations but I would go with my parents so I was technically not away alone. I started to get mixed feelings because I had never been far from home without my family. The farthest I had ever been was my grandparents house which was only about an hour and a half away. Unlike many of my peers that just wanted to go to college so that they could move out from their parents house, my situation was not the same. Just thinking that I would be more than two hundred miles away from home gave me a feeling of sadness because this meant I
A few months before all of this I was pleased with my calm life in a local city of Taiwan. I settled there at the age of two with my family, and things were going well so far. Because I lived there for ten years, the longest time that I ever spent living in one place, I had made really good friends and was not looking forward to any significant changes although my mom had told me a long time ago, we might move to USA to settle with our uncle and grandma. My mom also told me that the other reason we move is for a better education and life there but I was not listening at that time. I thought she was just joking around because my brother and I have always expected to have a vacation to other countries. By the time I finished my first year of middle school I knew that this was nearly impossible. My family was already packing up, cleaning out the house, and reserving four airplane tickets to USA.
high school feeling utterly nervous; now as a senior, I have been accepted into college! Oh my.
After that I tried thinking about it, I mean really think about it. I started considering my options; the pros and cons, of each school. The time flew by too quickly, and before I knew it the we had the results of the lottery. I remember sitting on the couch when I got the email saying I was accepted. I remember being so joyful!
Moving to another country and starting a new chapter of life are two of the most difficult things in life. Nobody wants to change, including me. In my country, Vietnam, people usually says that "if you have a chance to live in the United States, your future will be so bright because living in America is living on a field that is full of gold." When I was young and still as a child, my parent told me that we will be leaving Vietnam and moving to the United States in the future. When I heard that, I was so happy. Four years ago, my family and I moved to the United States with the hope of having a better future and the happiness of family reunion with my grandparent. On the way to United State, we always thought, expected, and hoped that everything will be okay and fine. After few months we have been living in the new country, problems started to happen. My parents could not communicate and understand people who spoken English because they had no chance to study English back in Vietnam. In Vietnam, they only used motorcycle. When they came here, they had to learn how to drive cars. It was really hard for my parents to find jobs since they could not speak and understand English, could not drive either. Everything was new and we had to learn and start everything from the beginning. It was really hard for my parent, including me.
I can recall the first meeting last year we had in the school cafeteria, it was the first step to sign up for college classes. I was debating whether I really wanted to take the chance and work harder than I had in previous English classes. My Dad was hesitant, but my Mom was pushing me towards it. I didn’t know how committed I was going to be. Not too long after the meeting I had to confirm if I was actually going to go through with it, with not great deal of time left to think it over I signed the paper that said I was in. I didn’t know if it would be something I would regret in the end for overwhelming myself or something that would be ultimately beneficial for my future. Since I’m at the end of the semester I’ve discovered that this challenge has been valuable to me and I’ve gained more insight about
It was a beautiful, sunny day in South Florida. I was six years old, playing by the pool with my new puppy. I loved swimming in the pool almost every day after school. I also enjoyed going out on our boat after school or crossing the street and going to the beach. My father came home one evening with some interesting news. Now, I do not remember exactly how I felt about the news at that time, but it seemed like I did not mind that much. He had announced that we were going to move back to my birth country, Belgium. I had been living in Florida for five years and it was basically all I had known so I did not know what to expect. I had to live with my mom at first, and then my sister would join us after she graduated high school and my father finished settling things. I remember most of my earlier childhood by watching some old videos of me playing by the pool and dancing in the living room. It seemed like life could not get any better. However, I was excited and impatient to experience a new lifestyle. I realized that I could start a whole new life, make new friends and learn a new language. Belgium was not as sunny as South Florida but it has much better food and family oriented activities. Geographic mobility can have many positive effects on younger children, such as learning new languages, being more outgoing, and more family oriented; therefore, parents should not be afraid to move around and experience new cultures.
As the end of my senior year in high school approached, I had to make an important decision. What school was I going to spend the next few years of my life at? When the financial aid packages arrived, I was torn between two colleges. After sitting down with my mother and discussing the advantages and disadvantages of both schools, I came to my final decision. It seemed like a year ago I was imagining what college life would be like and suddenly before my eyes, I would be a college student in a matter of four months.
I was starting my freshman year in college by making friends as many as possible. Day one of college was going well, teachers and classmates were perfect to communicate with, even though we are from diffenrent places in the world. My class finished at 2 o’clock, then i chose to walk to home instead of catching the bus. I was confident on myseft that i could remember the turns i had to take to get home. Yet, it was getting dark and nothing i could see. My heart began beating fast . After 10 minutes walking hopelessly, i saw a restaurant, actually a Vietnamese restaurant. I immediately went in and asked for help. The restaurant owner seemed to be the same age as my father. He looked at me and said to the cooker to make me something to eat. Honestly, i was feeling really hungry and that was the most delicious food i had ever ate. After few questions, he called for me a taxi and i did not forget to say thank before leaving. First day of school could be not really good, however, i had met some good friends and a nice person, which was enough for a new
I can almost remember that day like it was yesterday, I awoke like on any other school day. It was a gorgeous May morning, the rays of sun flittered through my miniblinds blinding me as if I hadn’t seen light in days. I sluggishly dragged my limp body out of my warm bed, retiring to the bathroom to perform my normal morning rituals shower, shave, brush my teeth, get dressed, do my hair, and all the other regulars. As I looked at myself while combing my hair, it hit me like a speeding express train, I was about to graduate. I couldn’t help but smile, but at the same time I felt like a part of me was drifting away. A tear came to my eye as I realized what was about to happen to me.
Through the last 13 weeks I have learned about whom I am and what makes me who I am. I have made some great friends not only my age but also older and younger than me. I have realized many things about myself that I never would have realized if I wouldn’t have came here. College is a whole new experience that you could never imagine unless you are there. It is nothing like you read or even that you watch on TV. It is completely different and you learn a lot about yourself as a person.
Going into freshman year of high school was something that hit me unexpectedly. I couldn’t believe that 4 years from then I would be graduating. To me it seemed like an eternity of course, as if I had all the time in the galaxy to relax before things would become more profound such as grades, time management skills, and independence.
Many college students often feel overwhelmed by homesickness when starting a new chapter of their lives. Homesickness is most commonly due to feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. A research study concluded that homesick college students are three times more likely to drop out over a student who has adjusted well to college life. For many first-year college students, being away from home can feel like an adventure. It can be exhilarating to be off on your own and completely in charge of your life as well as your social well-being. I know that during my first week in college, I didn’t feel homesick at all because I was so anxious to meet new people, explore the campus, and start the new journey of my life. However, as I became more used to the setting and people around me, I found myself to be occasionally missing home at
It was the second semester of fourth grade year. My parents had recently bought a new house in a nice quite neighborhood. I was ecstatic I always wanted to move to a new house. I was tired of my old home since I had already explored every corner, nook, and cranny. The moment I realized I would have to leave my old friends behind was one of the most devastating moments of my life. I didn’t want to switch schools and make new friends. Yet at the same time was an interesting new experience.
I opened my eyes at around 9:00 a.m.; I could not imagine that today was my graduation day. I was so excited to get ready for the day I had dreamt of for twelve years. I called my cousin Sandra to remind her to do my makeup because she is a makeup artist. I told her that I needed it to be flawless because I wanted this day to be complete in everyway. I took a shower to get ready for the hair salon because I was going to dye my hair red for the first time. I wanted a simple hairstyle; straight on top with curls at the bottom.
Before I knew it school was almost over, it was a time for graduation and all the things that come with it. We were swept up in appointments for pictures, cap and gown fittings, and then there were the Awards. I dreaded it, I wasn’t expecting anything, when all of a sudden my name was called! I was awarded the Algebra II award, Completers Award, and a full scholarship to National Park Community College! My parents were so proud and excited! My short walk across the stage ended my years at Jessieville and was a new beginning coming into