Foundation

Imagine a building that lost its foundation. There is no doubt that the building will collapse, but if a person loses their foundation, what will the person be? I lost my foundation when I moved to the United States. I was born and lived in China with my family, and I accustomed to the life environment in China. I also finished college in China. Years ago, I moved to the United States. I need to give up my foundation to make a fresh start.

I left my family of origin and came to the United States alone. At the very beginning, I was excited because leaving my family also meant getting freedom. However, I soon felt stressed, for I lost the support of my family. In China, I was carefree because my family took good care of me in my daily life, such as housing, cooking and even helping me to find a job, my family could use their relationship network to go through the back door. I seemed to take everything for granted in China, but not in the United States. Although my family is well-off in China, I cannot expect them to send money to me to live in the United States because it is a heavy burden for them. When I came to the United States, I learned to be self-reliant. Even though I left my supportive family which was my most strong foundation, I have became an independent person.

My life experience in China is useless in the United States because social rules and cultural thoughts are totally different, especially concerning safe consciousness. For example, one of the differences between China and the United States is the access to guns. In China, I never worried about this problem because guns are forbidden. Chinese people believe that guns cause more danger. In United States, everyone may owns a gun in order to protect their safety. Even though I would expect guns to be prohibited in the United States like in China, I know it is impossible. The only thing to do is to accept it and learn ways to protect myself. I have become sensitive in the public to look around surroundings and I have even searched safety guide online. When I was in the United States, I had to recognize rules are different. Also, I have needed to forget the past life experience which was one of my most important foundations to integrate into this society and protect my own safety.

I completed college education and got a college degree in China, but the degree is useless in the U.S. My major was jewelry design. When I came to the United States,  I wanted to find a job which matched my major. Unfortunately, I could not meet the requirements because my English ability was not good enough, and I did not have work experience. Also, the degree was not recognized in the United States. I need to go to school again to learn English and plan to get a degree again. In other words, I have to give up my Chinese education foundation. That has been a huge challenge for me.

Since I left China and moved to the United States, I have rebuilt my foundation. Even though I left my supportive family thousand miles away, I have become more independent. Even though my life experience in China is totally different in the United States, I have learned Americans social rules and improved my life experience. Even though my college degree is non-useful, I have accepted the bigger challenges to go to school again. Giving up foundation is not awful because it also means it is a great chance to restart!