Lost In Translation
Too Many Highlights/Cheung
The best always comes at the end of the year. Graduation, Prom and college excite all of us, but sadly also signify the time to leave. As an exchange student in NHS this year, I appreciate every experience that I have had.
I tried to list all the highlights of this year, but they indeed added up to too many. Staying with my wonderful host family gave me the chance to travel to many states including Washington, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, New York and New Jersey. Every state differed by the food, people, accent and even environment. New York City surprised me the most. People seemed so busy and unfriendly. I dropped a quarter on the crowded street and someone took it instead of picking it up for me. Millions of tall buildings and yellow cabs surrounded me. Times Square reminded me of my hometown, Hong Kong. I especially loved the spectacular lights at night and the real Chinese food in Chinatown!
I have made many awesome friends here. Americans are always friendly. Many people would wave to me in the hall even if I had never seen that person before. When I dressed nicely, people would shout,” You are so cute today!” I love the people here. I can never talk to someone I don’t know back in Hong Kong. Everyone just ignores you or passes by, even friends. However, one thing definitely shocked me since the first day of school: you can always touch the disgusting gum under the table or chair accidentally!
Goodbye Newport/ Moradei
I felt like Alice in Wonderland when I first arrived. Everyone treated me as an attraction; I was the darling of the time for more than a month and I liked it. When school started, I felt more popular than ever before. Being an exchange student felt like the status of a movie star under the spotlight. I was the Italian dignitary when dancing at the Ark and one of the top ten at the Friday Lunch Jam with my
“Radio Italia” performance. And the Italians called me shy?
I’ve never toured supermarkets like I did this year: hypnotized by all the merchandise in the same building. It seems that Americans really love the idea of finding everything here and now; could it signify laziness? When I started frequenting the cinema, I picked up the American tradition of eating popcorn. I started to worry as I didn’t want to end up as another AFS student going back home with extra pounds (but I’m failing)! The texting impulse caught me after just a few days, so I adopted my first texting plan and haven’t stopped since. How do I lose the addiction once I return to Italy?
I never believed my foreign accent was as evident as Americans made it out to be, but their reactions to my words made me realize that it is so. However I can still easily fool my parents, friends and most Italians!
Life abroad on American exchange accentuates everyday peaks and depressions. To cope, I write everything down on paper, talk it out or knock it off and always go to bed a winner. People often ask me if I feel homesick, but that word remains out of vocabulary!
