My First Friendly Encounter with Americans Changed My Life

My First Friendly Encounter with Americans Changed My Life
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My First Friendly Encounter with Americans Changed My Life
It was my first day at Michigan State University; my heart was pounding with fears of the unknown, and my nerve impulses were incoherent since it was my first experience as a Chinese exchange student at an American university. With my heart and mind saturated with apprehensions, I stepped inside the giant grilled white main gate of the university and walked on the concrete pavement, bordered by strips of lush green grass leading to the department of English. The counselor took me to a spacious classroom with wide window pans, spacious desks, and a motley of undergraduate students. My paranoia was at its peak as I had developed an awareness of stark cultural differences between Chinese and American societies; however, my surprisingly pleasant experience with my two American classmates extinguished my apprehensions for good and gave a new dimension to my life.
A young American lad with red hair and pale-white skin was sitting on the desk to the right side, and on my left side was an African-American girl with curly hair worn in cornrow braids. I gave a shy, self-conscious glance on both sides, alternatively to have an idea of my new immediate class neighbors; to my surprise, the lad greeted me with a wide, friendly smile. Moreover, instead of showing unwelcoming or xenophobic overtures, he said, "Hello! My name is Jerry; may I know yours? Collecting myself from this pleasant shock, I replied with a similar amiable smile and told her that my name was Ju. "How did you find America ever since you came here" was the next question posed with utmost politeness; "very friendly and pleasant" was my most apt response. "I hope you would find all opportunities of education and career here" an abrupt remark that made me turn my head towards my back came not from the girl sitting on the next side of my desk.
"Hello there, my name is Julia," the girl told me with a voice that had tones of intimacy and cordiality. I recollect now that my pleasant first meeting with Jerry and Julia was the turning point in changing my views about America. Jerry told me the syllabus outline for the semester gave me valuable tips about the Instructor, Mr. Robert Carton. He told me that the instructor was very strict about the on-time completion of assignments; however, he was very lenient towards learners of English as a second language. "You should never try overspending on buying things from the cafeteria" Julia gave me valuable advice and told me to rely on more and more home-cooked food to save money. This friendly introduction and sincere advice proved very fruitful to me; therefore, I told them about my family background to return for their friendly advances.
I belonged to Beijing, the capital of China; both Julia and Jerry responded positively and eagerly, and their body gesture and sparkling reflected their interest in hearing all about my country and...