A New Insight
This is one of the most unforgettable experiences regarding my new life in the United States. It was the fifth day since I came to the United States, and I was arranging my room. Vicky, the only friend that I had in America at that time, called me. Vicky is my mother’s friend’s daughter, and she had been living in the United States since she was six years old. “Hey Lynn, do you have plans for the weekend? This Saturday is my birthday, and I was wondering if you would like to come to my birthday party on Saturday night?” she asked. Without hesitance, I agreed since I loved being outside on the weekends. After hanging up the phone, I felt excited to attend the party because I, obviously, would have a chance to make friends and …show more content…
I noticed that Vicky’s friends did look at me for a long minute when Vicky introduced me to them. They looked at me and rolled their eyes at each other. Also, I recognized a huge surprise on their faces. Although I did not really understand what that meant, I did feel uncomfortable with that strange look. Furthermore, only Vicky talked to me during the party. Her friends just talked to each other and Vicky. I sometimes smiled and tried to talk to them, but they did not give proper responses which confused me. In addition, it seemed to me that they, occasionally, showed displeasure with me. I did not expect that they treated me in that manner. Eventually, I had the answer for their strange behaviors when staying the bathroom and hearing a conversation between Jennifer and Lisa, Vicky’s friends, about me. “How could [Vicky] make friend with that girl? She sucks,” Jennifer said without realizing my presence in the bathroom. “I have no idea, but I can’t. I even don’t want to talk to her,” Lisa responded. They left. Staying with the embarrassment and frustration, I wished to leave the party …show more content…
Although I preferred to talk to them, I chose silence since I wanted Vicky to have an entirely happy birthday. I did not let Vicky know what happened in the bathroom. Also, I tried to keep calm and gave myself time to analyze the issue. I wondered whether I unintentionally did something wrong that upset them, but the answer was no. The incident suddenly came, so I did not prepare myself for a reaction. Adapting to a new culture was stressful, and I gained a new insight that racism still exists. I knew that I was different from them, but that was who I was. Moreover, I did not feel anything wrong about being myself. I wondered why their thoughts were completely different from mine. Obviously, racism tended to create arrogance and could lead people to the incorrect awareness of self-worth. I realized that racism was the main issue that I was obliged to overcome. Therefore, I decided to meet Jennifer and Lisa when the party ended. Standing in front of them, I said, “It’s nice to meet you tonight. But you know what, I hope that what you guys talked about me in the bathroom was not related to racism. You should care about what I do, not who I am.” They were silent. Then, I said, “Have a good night” and I left. The incident actually motivated me to build my confidence to handle the racist issue and improve my knowledge of American
This is one of the most unforgettable experiences regarding my new life in the United States. It was the fifth day since I came to the United States, and I was arranging my room. Vicky, the only friend that I had in America at that time, called me. Vicky is my mother’s friend’s daughter, and she had been living in the United States since she was six years old. “Hey Lynn, do you have plans for the weekend? This Saturday is my birthday, and I was wondering if you would like to come to my birthday party on Saturday night?” she asked. Without hesitance, I agreed since I loved being outside on the weekends. After hanging up the phone, I felt excited to attend the party because I, obviously, would have a chance to make friends and …show more content…
I noticed that Vicky’s friends did look at me for a long minute when Vicky introduced me to them. They looked at me and rolled their eyes at each other. Also, I recognized a huge surprise on their faces. Although I did not really understand what that meant, I did feel uncomfortable with that strange look. Furthermore, only Vicky talked to me during the party. Her friends just talked to each other and Vicky. I sometimes smiled and tried to talk to them, but they did not give proper responses which confused me. In addition, it seemed to me that they, occasionally, showed displeasure with me. I did not expect that they treated me in that manner. Eventually, I had the answer for their strange behaviors when staying the bathroom and hearing a conversation between Jennifer and Lisa, Vicky’s friends, about me. “How could [Vicky] make friend with that girl? She sucks,” Jennifer said without realizing my presence in the bathroom. “I have no idea, but I can’t. I even don’t want to talk to her,” Lisa responded. They left. Staying with the embarrassment and frustration, I wished to leave the party …show more content…
Although I preferred to talk to them, I chose silence since I wanted Vicky to have an entirely happy birthday. I did not let Vicky know what happened in the bathroom. Also, I tried to keep calm and gave myself time to analyze the issue. I wondered whether I unintentionally did something wrong that upset them, but the answer was no. The incident suddenly came, so I did not prepare myself for a reaction. Adapting to a new culture was stressful, and I gained a new insight that racism still exists. I knew that I was different from them, but that was who I was. Moreover, I did not feel anything wrong about being myself. I wondered why their thoughts were completely different from mine. Obviously, racism tended to create arrogance and could lead people to the incorrect awareness of self-worth. I realized that racism was the main issue that I was obliged to overcome. Therefore, I decided to meet Jennifer and Lisa when the party ended. Standing in front of them, I said, “It’s nice to meet you tonight. But you know what, I hope that what you guys talked about me in the bathroom was not related to racism. You should care about what I do, not who I am.” They were silent. Then, I said, “Have a good night” and I left. The incident actually motivated me to build my confidence to handle the racist issue and improve my knowledge of American