It has been 251 days since the day I left my home. Life is not new anymore.
When international students are asked why they have chosen to study abroad, more than half of us say, “Because we want to experience something new, so that we can challenge ourselves better.” At the beginning, it is true. The first time I said “Hello” to someone who looked totally different from me, the first class I took that was taught completely in a foreign language, the first quiz, part-time job, church visit, career fair, and job application…everything made me feel energetic and excited.
However, as time went, life became “old”. I gradually adapted to the strange environment, and got used to living with people from different countries. I then lost my passion, I stopped challenging myself, I sometimes felt as bored as I did before I got to the United States. So what is the value of leaving home?
My answer may change in the future, but for now, what I want to share with you is this: work to achieve things, rather than just experiencing the new life. Studying abroad is still a good start for chasing a new self, however, to keep chasing, we need the sense of achievement.
I was excited for the creative methodology of teaching used by my investment professor, but when I saw my grade, it was hard to keep excited. So I assured myself that for my following classes, I would get a satisfactory score. Obviously, the better you can do something, the longer you will use that skill.
I was also one of students in our program who received an interview invitation from my dream company at the beginning of our program, and as far as I know, only five students received it out of 100+ students. I was excited, but I did not take it seriously. As a result, the chance flew away. Nobody can keep passionate when he or she is rejected again and again from job applications. After that, one day, the opportunity came again. This time, I gave myself no excuse to not take it seriously. I used two whole days to prepare for the interview, and I succeeded. Unlike what I expected, even though the preparation occupied the time for my finals, the sense of achievement fueled me.
What I am saying is that taking everything seriously and winning myself a sense of achievement is my way to keep my life fresh and exciting. Every time I succeed to do something, even a trivial thing, I feel like I get to somewhere that I have not been.