One day, I found that the culture in this countryis beyond my understandings. God might hear my words and gave me theopportunities. It taught me how to use the language in real life. No teacherexplained, for example, how to tell my landlord that the light in our bedroom didnot work and that I was currently containing the mess in a sauce pan. Theexperience taught me about being independent — I realized how crucial it is tocommunicate my needs clearly and effectively.

In china, many relatives and my parents’ friendsalways pretended to care about my life. They asked them how much I earnedmonthly, why I was so fat and what kind of girl I loved. But when I wasstudying abroad, nobody around us cared these things and everyone devotedthemselves to the valued things they beloved and brought great happiness to thecommunities. I learned the value of stillness gradually. I learned thepleasures of homemade yogurt, hanging laundry out to dry, listening tostrangers’ stories, taking the time to cook something or walk somewhere for atea. Most of all, I really started to love myself for making decisions that hadbrought me to this beautiful place, despite the many mistakes I had made earlier.When I came back to China, I still took a closer look at the usual plans andgot no attention of people who pretended to care about me.