Shuiyi Hu: Immigrant Stories

All my family moved back to Suzhou, the city I lived before I came to the U.S. I lived in the south of China for 18 years. I thought I was common before I came to the U.S. What I thought was quite similar with what other people thought. There were not many differences in cultures between people from other cities and me. I had no ideas about the meanings of my race and how it would influence my life. I came to the U.S. for university in August 2018. I know that there are many races in the U.S. but I still don't realize what my race means to me. I noticed a difference of appearance, customs, and cultures between different races. I began to realize that I'm different from other people and I want to learn more about the difference. I began to think about my race and its meanings. In China, I'm considered as a majority, but now I'm considered as a minority in the U.S. I'm considered as Asian by society. However, I'm more willing to be identified as a Chinese for myself. I'm different from other people who are considered as Asian. My culture is different from cultures of other Asians. My race began to influence my life and my feelings. I heard some people speaking some bad words to my friends and me. I feel angry but confused about their attitudes. Sometimes I feel confused when other people are talking about their ideas and some topics. Their ideas are quite different from my ideas. However, my thoughts become common again when I discuss these topics with my friends. Sometimes I feel lonely because of the difference of ideas and cultures. I feel like that I'm the only person who don't understand other people's ideas and cultures. I saw a football game with my friends after I came here. I was excited when I was watching the game. However, I felt that it was hard for me to feel as excited as other people during the game. None of my friends was as excited as other people. I felt that I was different from other people. Now I'm trying to understand their ideas and learn about their cultures. At the same time, I'm exploring the meanings of my race. I think it will take me a long time to explore the meanings of my race.