I texted Yingzi in the morning and we decided to meet in the lounge after dinner. When I reached, she was sitting on a chair staring at her phone screen. Although, we were actually having a conversation for the first time except the introduction during our hall meeting, we both comfortably sat on the sofa and started talking.
I started off by asking her where she was from and how she had been liking Emory so far. She responded that she was from China and Emory had been pretty good so far. Without further delay, I came to the topic of our interview and asked her, "How was it like when you first came to America?". She chuckled and replied," Ofcourse things were very different but I wasn't in shock. There were subtle differences in trivial things. Usually when I shopped in China, I would pay with cash but here I have to use my card." One major difference which she mentioned was the way in which people order food in China and in America. She described that in China, they usually don't greet or say hello to the waiter whereas in America, when one calls they greet the waiter and then start ordering. She said that's the reason when she first got here, people misunderstood her to be rude while she was clueless about what she had done. We both shared a laugh and continued talking.
Although I knew that there would be some differences, I never thought that things as small as these could make such a difference to somebody. She further explained how she came from a big city in China which made her used to the city life. She said, "Coming from a big city, I would always use the subway to commute from one place to another whereas here I feel like I'm stuck inside the campus and I can't go anywhere because there is no means of transport unless you have your own car. I really miss the subway!" I then asked her, "What is the one thing you miss about home the most?" As expected, her answer was food. As per my experience, I've noticed food plays a lot bigger role in Asian cultures as compared to the West. It maybe because of the flavors and authenticity, but Asians tend to miss food more than anyone. At this point, we both smiled and started discussing how restaurants and even the DUC try and prepare different cuisines, but they ultimately turn out to be American versions of all the cuisines.
As we talked, I asked her if she found a difference in people's behaviour and without even taking a second she replied, "Oh definitely!" She said, "Chinese people usually tend not to have conversations with random people, whereas here people are a lot more enthusiastic and talk to anybody and everybody. When you ask people in China "How are you?", they will think it's a serious question and will answer you very seriously while here the phrase is what you usually use to greet or start a conversation with someone. Also, people here express their opinions and emotions much more openly than Chinese people do, but I like that!"
After talking for about 10 minutes, I asked her if she thought there was a difference in terms of dating and friendships here as compared to China. She thought for a moment and responded, "People here don't take dating as seriously as we do in China. There, when a guy asks a girl out, the matter is already getting serious." However, she said it wasn't much of a shocker for her because we all had already seen in movies and TV shows what college is like so she knew what to expect.
At this point, she suddenly said, "The biggest difference that I've felt till now is that here I have the freedom to express my opinion. For example, I can criticise the government here." She laughed and said that this may sound really mean but it is the truth. She further explained that it was part of the reason why she chose to come to college in America because in China, what they teach you is what is right and that is what you have to learn and that's why there is no room for innovation or opinion while here you have the freedom to be critical and voice your own beliefs.
As our conversation started coming to an end, I asked her my final question, "Do you think it's harder for you to fit in as an international student?" She hesitated for a moment and then replied, "It is hard because firstly, English is not my native language and so sometimes when they joke around, I am unable to fit in. I mean, I understand what they are saying but I am confused how to remain a part of the conversation. Also, when I first tell someone I'm from China, the expression on their face makes me realise that somewhere in the back of their mind, they do think I am an outsider." I could really relate to what she said here because several times I have experienced the same. We talked about how we felt that the first vibes may be those of an outsider but with time we will also manage to fit in. Even though, we may be hanging out with people from our own country's right now because that's a part of our comfort zone, we hoped that we would make more friends in the future.
By the end of the interview, I was glad I wasn't the only one who felt the way I did.
I started off by asking her where she was from and how she had been liking Emory so far. She responded that she was from China and Emory had been pretty good so far. Without further delay, I came to the topic of our interview and asked her, "How was it like when you first came to America?". She chuckled and replied," Ofcourse things were very different but I wasn't in shock. There were subtle differences in trivial things. Usually when I shopped in China, I would pay with cash but here I have to use my card." One major difference which she mentioned was the way in which people order food in China and in America. She described that in China, they usually don't greet or say hello to the waiter whereas in America, when one calls they greet the waiter and then start ordering. She said that's the reason when she first got here, people misunderstood her to be rude while she was clueless about what she had done. We both shared a laugh and continued talking.
Although I knew that there would be some differences, I never thought that things as small as these could make such a difference to somebody. She further explained how she came from a big city in China which made her used to the city life. She said, "Coming from a big city, I would always use the subway to commute from one place to another whereas here I feel like I'm stuck inside the campus and I can't go anywhere because there is no means of transport unless you have your own car. I really miss the subway!" I then asked her, "What is the one thing you miss about home the most?" As expected, her answer was food. As per my experience, I've noticed food plays a lot bigger role in Asian cultures as compared to the West. It maybe because of the flavors and authenticity, but Asians tend to miss food more than anyone. At this point, we both smiled and started discussing how restaurants and even the DUC try and prepare different cuisines, but they ultimately turn out to be American versions of all the cuisines.
As we talked, I asked her if she found a difference in people's behaviour and without even taking a second she replied, "Oh definitely!" She said, "Chinese people usually tend not to have conversations with random people, whereas here people are a lot more enthusiastic and talk to anybody and everybody. When you ask people in China "How are you?", they will think it's a serious question and will answer you very seriously while here the phrase is what you usually use to greet or start a conversation with someone. Also, people here express their opinions and emotions much more openly than Chinese people do, but I like that!"
After talking for about 10 minutes, I asked her if she thought there was a difference in terms of dating and friendships here as compared to China. She thought for a moment and responded, "People here don't take dating as seriously as we do in China. There, when a guy asks a girl out, the matter is already getting serious." However, she said it wasn't much of a shocker for her because we all had already seen in movies and TV shows what college is like so she knew what to expect.
At this point, she suddenly said, "The biggest difference that I've felt till now is that here I have the freedom to express my opinion. For example, I can criticise the government here." She laughed and said that this may sound really mean but it is the truth. She further explained that it was part of the reason why she chose to come to college in America because in China, what they teach you is what is right and that is what you have to learn and that's why there is no room for innovation or opinion while here you have the freedom to be critical and voice your own beliefs.
As our conversation started coming to an end, I asked her my final question, "Do you think it's harder for you to fit in as an international student?" She hesitated for a moment and then replied, "It is hard because firstly, English is not my native language and so sometimes when they joke around, I am unable to fit in. I mean, I understand what they are saying but I am confused how to remain a part of the conversation. Also, when I first tell someone I'm from China, the expression on their face makes me realise that somewhere in the back of their mind, they do think I am an outsider." I could really relate to what she said here because several times I have experienced the same. We talked about how we felt that the first vibes may be those of an outsider but with time we will also manage to fit in. Even though, we may be hanging out with people from our own country's right now because that's a part of our comfort zone, we hoped that we would make more friends in the future.
By the end of the interview, I was glad I wasn't the only one who felt the way I did.