The day June 9^th of 2015 saw us receiving acceptance on attending BISTU’s external education program at the University of Oakland. It has been unimaginable for us to study abroad while still studying our bachelors’ degrees. After filling out the application forms, it seems all goes very well and we board on the flight to Detroit, thus starting our one-year studying in America.  

A new beginning  

“Life is not a story. It is more an event in which we enjoy and struggle and finally make it a meaningful one.” 

It is a fresh trip for all of us. And everything is fresh. Whatever will be waiting for us, we have to face it on our own and be brave.  

Eating is the first barrier we encounter.  

The first few meals are all western style--- steak, fries, burger---and they are really delicious at the very beginning. However, after quite a few meals, we know they are not our type. Most dishes here are grilled and served with sources of every kind. Vegetables are almost all made into salads and cream could be found in every soup. All is high energy. When in China we are happy to taste pizza with foreign friends. Yet here it is no longer a pleasure.  

In a country full of cheese and pizza, learning to cook Chinese food seems to be the only way of survival. And thus we decided to learn to cook. Mobile app on cooking is a must on our phones. From everyday dishes to complicated ones, gradually we could have Chinese style meals. In a sense, we become self-sufficient. For young generation as we are who almost have never touched kitchenware before, this is a great step and a treasure of life.  

Housing is also a big problem. 

Different from Chinese universities, on-campus halls are very expensive in the States. Most international students would choose to rent an apartment close to the university. When just arriving here, it is the peak time of enrollment and there are only limited housing choices available. Some of our BISTU students even have to stay in a hotel for one month before they could find housing. Luckily, surroundings here are very nice--- clear rivers, white clouds, beautiful sunsets, wild ducks, raccoons, and squirrels become are friends.  

International students have mixed feelings with cars. 

As we live off-campus, most of us need to walk 30 to 40 minutes from our housing to the university. It is a 50-minute walk from our apartment to the nearest grocery store. In a city with a vast piece of land but much smaller population, it is natural that public transportation is not good. Even most of the roads do not have pedestrian walk. Without a car, we can go nowhere. Considering we would stay here for just one year, buying a car is not an economical choice. Finally we jointly bought a car, not only for going to the university but also for shopping and touring around.  

Studying abroad is a long way of exploration in the dark. We hold onto our resolution as the candle and help each other on the most difficult part. In this “melting pot”, it is necessary to keep close contact with Chinese students. The true American culture is actually conflict and integration among interest groups of different nationalities. We united together and then we become strong.  

Going on track  

“Growing up does not necessarily mean success. It is a process in which we become strong and rich in mind, just as decorating a house--- it becomes more colorful and beautiful after your hard work.” 

Overcoming cultural difference probably is the barrier which each international student has to go through. When life is not as hard as the beginning, learning hard becomes a compulsory course. 

In China, experiment report usually is written following a kind of model offered by teachers. While in the U.S., requirements on report are very strict and of much higher standard. At BISTU, final exam of each course makes up 70% of overall grade. Here almost each week there would be exams on some courses and each exam would make up a certain percentage of final grade. On an open class you could interrupt the professor and raise your questions. However, it is absolutely not a place to make jokes. We found that here we have to work hard every day, prepare for exams every weeks, and devote to course design every month. The only recreational activity is sleeping.    

Professor instructing experiment 

As we could not fully understand the lectures in class, we have to make very detailed notes and review them after class. It is a normal way of learning to do a lot of homework. Baidu is the first tool I would fall back on.  Later I found that wiki of English version is more suitable--- it is easier to understand an English-written concept by reading its English-written explanation. Gradually we all become accustomed to exchange and discuss with professors in English, rather than chatting with Chinese students in Chinese.  

We chose to complete our undergraduate final project at Oakland University. Requirement on final project is not the same as it is in China. Usually companies send requirements to the university and then the projects are allocated to groups of students. For us, it is not an easy job to complete a project with our American classmates. In view of our English language proficiency, we could not truly and completely present our ideas. Nor could we fully understand theirs. At the beginning we are more like lookers-on and our in-group grades are not good. However, we are all active and try our best. Gradually we are fully accepted by the group and team mates become friends. Now our projects are coming to the end. Each member of the group has become an indispensable part.  

Group discussion on final project  

Of course we are still far from being perfect. And in terms of academic writing and reading, there is huge gap between us and the local students. That means we are not efficient in reviewing literature and we need my essays revised. Still, we need to work even harder.  

Some people tend to say international student in America are decadent by quoting North American Debunk --- a Weibo users who posts mostly bizarre, sensational cases of students in America and Canada. It is due to these cases that the Weibo user is followed by millions. However, the vast majority of international students here like to study with libraries and work hard for higher GPA. At Oakland University, all Chinese students perform better than local ones---even GPA 3.5 is considered a relatively low grade. 

Getting better： 

“Time not only gives you’re your age but also present. Only over the mountains can you see bring moon and twinkling stars.” 

When we are not struggling with studies any more, life becomes more interesting. 

We attended conversation partner activity organized by the university--- both helping the American students learn Chinese and improving our English level, which is a win-win deal of Sino-American cooperation.        

Xu Zhibang also spent four hours in tutors other Chinese students on ME421 examination.  

When Spring Festival came, we happily gathered together. It seems that we are a family and we are no longer kids feeling sad for being far away from home on the most important festival.  

During Christmas vacation, we went to different places, such as Princeton University, New York, Chicago, etc.  

Princeton University  

Shandong Ads on Time Square  

Millennium Park in Chicago  

Hello and Goodbye： 

“Every moment is just perfect; whether it is reunion or farewell, the timing cannot be more suitable.” 

As if it were just a blink of eye, it has been 7 months since we arrived in here. What impressed us most is the seriousness with learning. You could only win by being serious about learning. 

Gary Locke in his inauguration speech said that it took him 50 years to walk over the three miles from his home to Governor’s office. We are not that ambitious and all we want is to improve ourselves and realize our Chinese dream.  

We cherish our days in the U.S.--- full of fun and fulfilling. The days seem to pass by more quickly as our departure time comes closer. We firmly hold that hard work will eventually reward itself. When we made up our mind to start a journey here, we have decided to become what we are today.  

Whatever the future would be, vast grassland or rough sea with twinkling stars, we would still work hard. With love, with being loved, we would carry on and continue to explore this interesting, mysterious world.  

--- from all students of 2015 External Education project at Oakland University