Studying abroad, culture matters

I actually feel bad of not taking care of this blog well enough in the past few weeks. My excuse is that I have been writing for another source, which is not an acceptable excuse, but I hope it helps. If you’d like to explore San Francisco in terms of local adventures, you could find some of my pieces here: http://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/california/. 

I have found myself very enjoyable to write about this city, and I am glad that I could reach to wider audience. Please don’t take my work as a travel guide, because I am not a local. I am still a traveler who happens to love this area so much that I would not stop bragging about it, one way or another. My cultural style should not be considered as San Francisco folks, it is still a weirdo. I hope you would enjoy my weird taste.

This May was very interesting to me since I got to attend plenty of my friends’ graduation (and mine too). It is always hard to get ready for an upcoming life-changing milestone. Unlike Vietnam, people here don’t mind to relocate, to move to another place where better opportunities are waiting for them. Even they are not so sure about better chances, they believe that trying is better than doing nothing, that changes are not something too scary. Studying abroad is not an easy decision, and there are so many challenges that we could not expect. There are many stories about studying abroad, I am not repeating those again. I am sharing here my experience dealing with changes.

Studying abroad means more than studying words and textbook. It means a whole culture, a different lifestyle. Speaking perfectly a language does not mean that you would get a job. There are so much more aspects of “language” that you might forget when chasing after your grades at school. You would expect to step out of your comfort zone to connect to people, to understand the difference of your culture and their culture. I know it is awkward sometimes that you would say “That is not me”, but what is the worst thing could happen if you try? You would never know why people volunteer to do something without asking to get paid. You would never know if you like something until you try it for real.

Studying abroad is an excuse and also an opportunity for you to broaden your worldview and perspective. I am not encouraging you to try smoking, or getting involved with complicated situations. However, you should open yourself to see and perceive new things. If you have been playing the role of Cinderella, then you might want to take advantage of trying the role of Mulan or Princess Tiana. You would never know what life could surprise you.

Studying abroad is more of an experiment than a destination. Getting a degree does not mean that you achieved your goal, it is just a mean for you to aim your actual purpose of life. I just want to stress that everyone has different purposes of life. If you are from Asia, then you should expect that you would feel confused after graduation. Since you were little, you might had been told how your life should be. It is going to be very typical: study hard, get to a good school, get to a good college, get a job at a reliable company, start a family, save money and start investing in your children's future. The purpose of life is actually more than that. How do you want to live your life for the next 10 years? 30 years (assuming you will retire at 55~60)? How much money do you want to make? Enough for you to travel? Enough to provide your family? Etc. You are allowed to feel lost sometimes because many people have told you that you SHOULD better be that and that. Actually, you need to clarify what you WANT to do rather than what you SHOULD do. If you don’t know what you want, you better experience different things to figure it out.

I had doubted myself a lot because I got stressed out of my poor abilities. I realized that attitude matters. Especially for new international students, it is easier said than done, but you really need to get yourself ready for necessary changes. Although I have not achieved any valuable goals, I noticed that I have changed myself into a better version. I stood taller, I smiled more often and I started learning how to be pleased with myself and the decision.

I wish you all the best, Class of 2015!