(1) The year 2001 marked a significant turning point in my life. I faced the most difficult challenge in my life when I left Hong Kong to attend high school in the United States. That August, when I arrived in the United States, I faced the personal challenges of adjusting to life in a new country as well as the loss of close family members. In March of 2001, before I came to the United States, my beloved aunt died from cancer. I was still suffering from that loss when I arrived in Michigan in August. At the same time, I was also hampered tremendously by my difficulty in speaking and understanding English in the new environment.
As I coped with my personal problems, the world faced the crisis of September 11th. I watched the terrified, crying people of New York and I felt their pain. This was the most devastating event that had happened since my arrival in the Untied States.
I couldn’t have anticipated further tragedy, in October my much-loved uncle died of a heart attack in Hong Kong. Losing two family members in the same year was one of the greatest trials I have ever experienced. I was very close to my aunt and uncle, neither of who had children of their own. Now they are gone, it fills me with great sorrow that they won’t be able to see me graduate.
I responded to all the death with tremendous sadness. At the same time leaving Hong Kong was a great personal sacrifice for me. Not only did I have to learn a new language but also I was separated from my friends and family. I felt insecure of my new environment and how meaningless life seemed! That December, I returned to Hong Kong for the Christmas holidays, gloomy and overcome by my difficulties. My father, upset to see me so depressed, reminded me that, “Life is short. We should be more tenacious and concentrate on living more meaningful lives. Contribute what you can to society, help others and do your best in order to be thankful for the love you received from your aunt and uncle.” That night I dreamt, conjuring up the memories of those now dead who once meant so much to me. I realized that I, too, had to adjust. I had to stop mourning, accept the challenges of my new situation and get on with my own life.
As a result, the expatriate experience was a blessing. I learned to value another culture, have become much more independent in both my personal and academic life. My high school grades and acceptance into University reflects my renewed effort and enthusiasm. I also recognize that any obstacle, no matter how great, can be overcome.
(2) Since I was 5 years old, I have been fortunate enough to be exposed to a variety of countries and cultures. Before I moved to the United States at fifteen from Hong Kong, I often traveled with my parents when there are local holidays and sometimes accompanied my father on business trips, attending exhibitions and trade fairs. Throughout my journeys, I learned and encountered many different cultures and found out we live in a dynamic and diverse global business environment. No matter what the difference in culture and nationalities, in our ,global community, most modern careers in business, politics or education involves working and interacting with people from a variety of cultures; in order to communicate and solve problems and market the business, it is essential to be able to understand the world from a multitude of perspectives. My experienced in traveling and coming to study in America and learning to think and act in new ways has certainly broadened my own ability to communicate and empathize with others who are different from me.
(3) This winter quarter, I enrolled “COM 499” class and participated in a research project called “Ethnic Media in the United States”. America, being the melting pot of all ethnicities in the world saw a steady growth in number of ethnic media that caters to many different ethnic groups. I, in particular belongs to a large population of Asian ethnic group. Ethnic Media is helpful to the ethnic communities in America for they serve as a bridge between the expatriates and their countries of origins. It gives them more personal updates as to what is happening in their homeland and as well as to their own community. This has been the focus of my research, as I want to know how ethnic media, particularly the Chinese ethnic media helps the Chinese community in America. First, I gathered information mostly from internet as to how widespread is the Chinese media in America. I also wanted to know if the Chinese population watches the shows of the ethnic media compared to mainstream media. To answer my second question, I formulated a questionnaire with two simple questions in it. The first question is “ do you watch Chinese shows on T.V.?” and the second question is “which do you prefer most, the Chinese shows or other “mainstream” (loosely defined as non-Chinese shows) shows on T.V.? I randomly selected my respondents from my own neighborhood and conduct the interview over the phone. I made a basic respondents profile like classifying them by gender and age so that I can analyze my data smoothly and know if there is a relationship between gender and age to watching Chinese shows on T.V. I went through this project alone for I also want to know if I can make it all by myself. It was a good experience for me because I gained a whole lot of self confidence, especially when I was talking to people over the phone and asking them to answer my simple questionnaire. I also became self reliant, without much help that I can turn to, I know that I had to do this alone, especially now that I will be far away from home.
(4) I am the first child of the family to get into college. Not only to keep the promise of my parent, but also it feels like I am dedicating my study to both my aunt and uncle, who just recently pass away, where I saw and experienced from them kindness, warmth and love. Both my parents are very supportive and encouraged me to study abroad to have a wider perspective and gain a very quality education. I lived and studied in two vastly dissimilar cultures – Hong Kong and America. To me, pursuing a career in business is a very pragmatic solution to my future welfare. My father, being a businessman in Hong Kong, seems like I am following his footsteps. I have had numerous opportunities to watch him work. And thru him, I have discovered my own interests in the business field. I find it intriguing and exciting to know the differences and similarities the way business operates in the East and West. I hope that with my global citizen outlook, I can use this as leverage to my future career in business by understanding cultural trends between East and the West which is significant to my own business. At present, I’m hoping that I can share my knowledge and unique experience of the East and West culture and serve as a bridge as my own contribution to my academic community.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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