“I do have trouble finding friends here because I’m in the graduate program.”

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Transcript for I Will Always Sign Up and Go

I remember it was August 2009.  I didn’t know much about here before that.  I just looked it up on the map and then I know where it located.  And then when I came here, I felt—well, it was in summer, the sky is blue and it’s so clear.  It’s not like, so polluted there in Beijing.

I worked with some of the staff members and professors on campus.  They are very friendly.  They always talk with me about like, my life, my job, when I was fixing their computer or finding problems.

I do have trouble finding friends here.  I guess it’s—I’m in the graduate program.  So in the graduate program a lot of—there are not many students here.  And a lot of them are either people who are working or commuters.  And I don’t live in a dorm.  Not many chance to meet new friends.  I feel it’s weird if I just, I’m studying in the library, I just walk into someone and say, ‘Hey, can I talk with you?’ or something.  I do have some good friends.  One of my friends, his name is Mark, we went to the same class: computer class.  We became very close friends, so he invited me to his home.  His family is very big ski fans, so they invited me to Colorado and then we—I skied there for a week.  Now every year when VISA [Valparaiso International Student Association] has this ski trip, I will always sign up and go.  And then also, this year I went, actually went twice: one time with the VISA, and one time with my friend Mark and his friends, we went to Wisconsin.

I like the class in the U.S.  It’s more free and more casual.  It’s not like in China when we have classes.  So like, you have to sit there and then be quiet and then no challenging, no questioning the teacher.  When you have question, you have to raise your hand, and then if the professor let you say something, then you can.  Totally different than what I experienced.  But when I came here, it’s really good because in the class you can talk with the professor any time.  And then, if you have questions, you can just ask, and the professor will be very patient.  I wish it was like that in China.