Student Exchange to California State University – Long Beach, U.S.A.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to know that majority of the students who had or wanted the opportunity, honour, and privileges of participating in the Exchange Student Program of our lovely university had had the means as early as their Freshman year. I was no different. However, each of our purpose(s) or reason(s) to pursue our goal was without a doubt different. Some went for the life experience, some for the language environment, some for the benefits and bonuses it would bring to their resume, some for the fun recreation whether they’d care to admit it or not, and some went because it was their dream (the highest percentage and most mentioned). For me, I went for the experiences and the English speaking environment. Though the department I studied in – International College – provided just that, what I wanted was even after stepping out of the classroom, you’d have no choice but to speak English.
My parents were well aware of my desire and were, thankfully, encouraging, even though I was concerned about our family’s financial balance since my elder sister was going abroad too that year. The financial aid I obtained from the Department of Education helped significantly; if it weren’t for them, I would have postponed my plans. Honestly speaking, you may hear others encouraging you to go abroad; however, the most important factor to consider realistically would be whether you could afford it or not. I was fortunate. And I’m sincerely grateful for all the supports from my beloveds.
The choice of obtaining IELTS instead of TOEFL was for the hope that in the future it could still be of use to apply for universities in the UK. I couldn’t afford to go to the UK for the exchange program. However, since I haven’t had the honour of visiting the US, I saw no reason not to go.
Saying goodbye at the airport was harder than I’d expected; I’d underestimated myself and shed tears as I watched the shore grew farther and farther away as the plane gain speed and altitude. I wasn’t as strong as I’d thought I was, and homesick struck my hard that first night in the empty dorm-room, followed by a month of extreme culture shock and insecurity. That was when I truly understood how wonderful Taiwan was and the phrase “You never truly appreciate what you have till you lose it.”
The dorm-life was fun in every aspect, including the eerie days when I stayed behind while others went home for the holidays. It wasn’t difficult to meet new acquaintances for they were rather eager to expand their social network; you could meet new friends during meals, down the corridor, on the shuttle to class and in the common room (aka Multi-Purpose Room). They were pleasant, but had excessive energies that kept them lively through the nights while I passed out from exhaustion. Their straightforwardness was expected, yet still required time to adapt to. However, their behaviours and openness to certain sensitive topics remained hard to accept and might be best left untouched.
Other than the daily life, there were events held exclusively for residences, such as Game or Movie nights, Workout Thursdays, Annual Paintball trip, The Best of the Beach (talent contest), Mr. Long Beach (a males beauty pageant), one day trips to Disneyland or Universal and so on. Halloween, Valentines, Oscar Award, Super-bowl and so on were wonderful as well; especially Halloween. They simply couldn’t have you trick-or-treating costume-less.
During vacations, I’d visited places alone. I didn’t dare travel far; the farthest I’d been was to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon with a travel group before returning to Taiwan, which was mind-blowing with their hotel interior designs and the overwhelming grandeur and power of nature that made me feel insignificantly small. During Winter Vacation, I stayed aboard the famous Queen Mary, tested my courage at Knott’s Berry Farm, fed my brain at the Aquarium of the Pacific, and cheered for my knight at the Medieval Times. My adventures. My stories, though less colourful than others’, were precious lessens outside of the classroom.
Though I had no problems keeping up with the teachers’ lectures inside the classroom, the learning atmosphere and education system were foreign and required time getting used to. Studying at CSULB, with only 12 credits per semester, got me glued to my desk most of the days and I couldn’t help pondering how much of Taiwan’s education system was left to be desired. While it would take at least 15 credits with the addition of extra-curriculums to drive one mad in Taiwan, 12 credits in the US with the determination to get straight As could bring out similar results. I spent most of my days studying and doing homework, and while in class, like the rest of the students, I dared not doze off even if I had to let my mind wander off to else-where – mostly to the exhausting Creative Writing class I originally took for fun – and participated in vigorous group discussions. Sure that I majored in tourism and hospitality, hobbies and personal interest and what might be a second-talent weren’t going to go abandoned. And I was not going to let the opportunity to use their resources slip away. Though creative writing classes were relatively the most challenging courses I’ve taken, they were the most rewarding and satisfying classes of all, even the insomnia and fatigue could not dampen the passion, time, and efforts I’d put into my work.
Though MCU IC provided an English learning environment with International students as classmates, going abroad was different and marvellous. It was different than knowing it from second-hand sources because experiencing it personally has a bigger impact. My unforgettable experiences helped me grow and it was as inevitable as the flow of time; the same applied to all the exchange students. And for that, I’m forever grateful.