Hua 1

Ying Hua
Professor Beadle
English 113B
24 February, 2016
Important friendship
Everyone is unique in this world. Every day, there are different events happening, people
are experiencing different things, and making different decisions in different cultures, and these
cultures form people. Space is another important element to form people, different spaces have
different culture, and have different people. Space contributes to the personality of everyone. In
different spaces, we have different manners to different things and people, and these lead people
to have different views of you, also have different relationships with different people. Culture is
kind of a background for us, it can reflect our family, country and many stuff. Each culture is
unique, and it forms personality. For me, I am a part of the international student culture, I leave
my family and country, the unknown world and life force and from me as a person who really
cares about friends, and to be more independent.
International student culture is a group of people who study abroad, they leave their family,
friends, country and the familiar environment. This group is growing, and it will be getting
stronger and stronger in the future. According to the research, they found that 1.05 million
foreign students are currently studying at different American universities and colleges
(Hookstead). Study abroad is a different way to get education, and it is a good way to make
yourself more independent. The symbol of the international student culture is like the language,
or to be independent. As a student, we are still a kid, sometimes we still miss home, miss parents,
miss the homemade food. For me, I am from China. Chinese is my first language, I live and grow

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up in the environment that people speak Chinese, and the sign is all Chinese in the street.
Language always can bring people close to each other. In different space, it has different
meaning to us.
Space is a way to influence people. As an international student, we experience more things
than others. In California, we have a different life style. In China. I am a girl that being protected
by my parents. I live with them and also depending on them a lot. These leads me into being a
dependent girl. I am adapting the life in there, the familiar street, familiar people, and the food.
Everything there does not make me afraid. But when I came to America. I am afraid for
everything, in here, I needed to do everything by myself, face an unknown world, to make new
friends and try to do a lot of things. I have a lot of first time in here, the first time flew 12 hours
alone; First time try to make friends; First time crying for how much I miss my family; and first
time solve problem by myself.
Language is another big problem for international student, I am a really shy girl, and though
the space change, my personality is changing. English is not my first language, I am still learning
about it, and language make my life more difficult and give me a lot of pressure. According to
the research, it shows that, Because of the language limitations, it is not easy for international
student to fully understand what the professors say or what the professor want at the beginning
(Academic Difficulties). In the international student culture, everyone is leaving their home
country, everyone has the similar experience. We all experience the time do not understand in
class; do not know what happen around us; spend twice or three times or more time to study, just
to try to understand. International student actually cried a lot, but they are also very strong.
Sometimes they need to pretend they are strong to avoid the attack from others. In the school, I
am kind of nervous at first. In the first class, I was really nerves, I do not know can I handle this

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class, I am afraid of it. And later on, I try to do homework and try to read stuff, although it
spends more time, but I still did it. I am getting relax because I know whats going on. People
getting relax if they know whats going on, that way people can feel they are safe.
Different space has different roles, and though the changing of the space, I am changing.
Ranald Jackson II mentioned that, The importance of an identity changes depending on the
situation and the value placed on that identity in the numerous social roles people play in their
daily lives (Self-Identity and Culture, 127). In my Chinese home, my role is a daughter, I am a
kid in front of my parents and my grandparents. They did everything for me, I do not worry
about anything. I can do what I want, I can be lazy, do not need to cook or to clean anything. I
am so depending on them. We speak Chinese to each other, watch Chinese TV show, everything
in Chinese. In here, as an international student in CSUN, I am a student, I am alone in an
unknown country, everything is new to me at first. At the beginning, I am afraid for everything,
afraid to face the unknown environment, and afraid to try new things. But as a student, I need to
study here, and to take care of myself. I know no one can actually take care of me like my
parents. The life forces me to try to talk to others, to solve problems by myself, and to take care
of myself. I am forced to be independent. To leave the home country, this space makes me more
independent.
Friends is a big part of my America life. In here, I am out of parents, if I want to speak
Chinese, I need to make new Chinese friends, they can help you feels you are in home. I am a
person that Anastacia mentioned that, culture can have expressed though symbols (Culture and
communication, 5). Chinese is a symbol for our international student culture. When people speak
Chinese in the campus, I can know they are international student directly, language make a
symbol that can represent the culture. In addition, there are other symbol for it, for example, the

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food, the habit, the way to speak, the cloth style and to celebrate different holidays. Everything
give other direct message. I am really care about friends, because I like to feel safe, feel I am at
home. The beginning of this month, it is traditional Chinese New Year, I want to celebrate with
my family, but we have class at this time, I cannot go back to China. I go find my friends, I go to
my best friends home. In my journal entries, I mentioned that when I saw her, I am so moved,
because I feel like I am with my family, she is a part of my family. We eat together, and we hang
out, I feel like they are part of my family. I am so happy. When I get there, she gives me a hug, I
feels like I am at home. I am so happy with them. In their home, I am so relaxing and so happy.
Because of the same language and the similar experience, we feel really close to each other. We
all experience the similar things; we all cry in those things. These make us feel we are similar
and feel relax.
In a conclusion, as a part of the international student culture, I experience a lot of things that
shape me, I am become a person who really care about friends and being more independent. The
life force mw to improve, this culture shapes me this identity. To try make more friends is a good
way to avoid to feel alone. Although we are physical alone here, we can make our heart not
alone, we just need to try to step out. Different space can shape the identity.

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Work Citied
Academic Difficulties. Imi. n.d. Web. 22 Feb, 2016
Hookstead, David. Number of international students in the US up nearly 10 percent in 2015.
dailycaller. 04 Sep, 2015. Web. 22 Feb, 2016.
Jackson II, Ronald L. and Cerise L. Glenn and Kesha Morant Williams. Self-Identity and
Culture. Kurylo, Anastacia. Inter/Cultural Communication. Los Angeles: Sage
Publications, 2013. 117-139. Print.
Kurylo, Anastacia. Culture and Communication. Inter/Cultural Communication. Los Angeles:
Sage Publications, 2013. 3-21. Print.

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