When I started studying in Texas, USA in August 2007, it was during the summer and the weather was extremely hot. Arriving tired and hungry after a long flight, I had my first meal at Wendy's, where I enjoyed a hamburger that left a lasting impression on me. During my study abroad period, I was fortunate to have a devout religious couple as family friends who offered me a place to live and took care of my daily life. Their unwavering care and support, rooted in their religious beliefs, taught me important lessons about faith and values that had a profound impact on my growth and development.
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On my birthday, I went shopping and received money from my grandma to buy clothes as a gift, as it was a tax-free day. I also received gifts from friends, which made me very happy.
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Previously, we rarely contacted or met each other due to living in different places. However, since living in the United States, we started to adapt to the new environment together. However, this couple was very strict, placing great emphasis on their children's growth. They had a talented daughter who excelled in cooking and had musical talent. She was the church's organist.
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I later discovered that their conservative upbringing considered some words like "ho jeung" (awesome) and "chi sin" (crazy) as swear words. Since then, I refrained from using any swear words for a month and tried to speak in a more gentle manner.
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At that time, I enrolled in some courses at community colleges, which would take about two years before transferring to a four-year university. Initially, I had little understanding of these courses, but during this period, I encountered interesting things that made everything feel fresh and exciting. I learned some local English that I wouldn't have learned in Hong Kong, and I took an English reading course and a math class. Luckily, I had excellent teachers and made friends with classmates from Vietnam and other foreign countries. The area was vast, and since there were no buses and I didn't have a car, it took a long time to go to nearby malls or supermarkets, sometimes relying on family and friends for transportation.
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I also started participating in church activities and joined a fellowship, where I began interacting with the members and experiencing celebrations for birthdays and holidays. Additionally, I received a letter from a friend in Hong Kong.
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In mid-December, as Christmas approached, I planned to return to Hong Kong for vacation.
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Homesickness made me feel somewhat confused and anxious because my friends and family in Hong Kong were in a different time zone, making it difficult to chat with them. I looked forward to being able to contact my friends between 8 p.m. and midnight, as that was when I was most likely to be online.
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However, I also felt powerless as the process of adapting to life was not as simple and joyful as I had expected. I couldn't fully embrace the foreign culture, and I couldn't imagine myself living here for many years due to various changes. In the later stages, I had to force myself to continue listening to Cantonese songs and keeping up with news from Hong Kong, as I increasingly felt reluctant to live in that place.
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During this time, I also encountered some cultural differences. In my classes, I was the only Asian student, while everyone else was from a foreign country. Sometimes, I felt bored and didn't enjoy being in that place, but I tried my best to adapt. I also started contemplating whether I should write novels in English. I gradually became accustomed to life there, although sometimes I felt numb and bored.
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Finally, I returned to Hong Kong for Christmas break and ended my study abroad experience in the United States due to illness. During this time, after returning to Hong Kong, I initially prayed before meals and participated in fellowship, church, and Sunday school activities. However, I gradually forgot to do so and became a person without religious beliefs.
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Overall, this period was filled with various experiences. I tried my best to adapt to the new environment and find my direction and goals.
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