John Q. Student
Augusta State University
As human beings, every single one of us has a tendency to make mistakes. Even the most powerful and highly recognized people make mistakes; whether it is the president of the United States to the by-standers you see along the street. It probably sounds weird but making mistakes is the proof that we are in fact human beings. Along with this, there is also this natural reaction of people that there is a need to correct most or some of the mistakes that we make. It would be easy to do if it happened in school. If you make a mistake on a quiz, for example, it would be easy to correct that mistake and do better on the next exam. But when it comes to things that happen in our daily lives, people can’t help that feeling of regret on some things that we did or didn’t say, what we did or didn’t do, etc. And usually when you ask people (especially the younger and lesser experienced ones) if they could go back in time and change something that they did in their life, they would usually say yes. But for me, I am at an age where I am sort of in the middle of things. When I think back through my life, I think that there were things that happened to me or what I did that could have been better. But would I want to turn back time and redo whatever I did before and make things right? No, I don’t think so (I mean, it would be an awesome opportunity, but upon thinking, I would rather not). This is because I believe that mistakes are valuable to our lives and these things actually define who we are, rather than the things we did correctly. Through mistakes people develop into well-rounded human beings. And so, instead of wanting to change something I did, I want to make a change for myself for the future.
As you can see, I am not originally from this place. I was born in China and have full-blood Chinese parents. And you probably know from all the stereotypical views other races have on our people, that Chinese parents have high expectations from their children and it is true. But I don’t really think that it’s as negative as how other people see it. In fact, I am very thankful that my parents put all their efforts into helping me finish school and be able to receive the best education possible. And to think that my parents even managed to send me abroad where the cost of living is higher than that of China, I really appreciate all their efforts by spending all their funds and resources, investing them on me. Honestly speaking, I don’t really think that I am someone who does really well when it comes to academics. And sometimes it saddens me because I know that my parents are expecting a little bit more but decide not to pressure me because they understand that I am doing my best. Because of that act of generosity and understanding, I have decided that I should do something to repay all the hard work and belief that my parents put into me.
China is not exactly the most liberated country in the world. Actually, I think that it is in fact the opposite. I grew up in a place where there are small tight-knit communities scattered across the country. Basically, all of my relatives lived in the same town, and usually because of the hardships that families face in the country, they decide to live abroad in order to have a better life. For my family, they could only afford to send me. And being an international student, I was faced with a lot of changes and experienced some kind of a “culture shock” because this place is so different from here. Now, I have come to think that the people in my hometown must be crazy to have wanted to go to a place that’s so far from home. I actually miss the community and the people from my hometown. And then it hit me. After receiving all the knowledge that I need, I would go back to China.
I thought that maybe I should make a change and end this trend of people leaving their countries to seek a better life. As of now, I have no step-by-step plan. But what I do know is that I will do everything in my power to make my hometown a better place to live in. After I learn all the necessary knowledge from this successful country that has been so kind to me, I will apply what I learned to my home. This is so that I can do my parents justice and make them proud of me and the work that I will plan on doing. This is so that I will not have to be so far from the most precious people in my life and actually devote my time to them as they have devoted their time to me – my family.
