I never realized the world was so much bigger than the United States. As far as I was concerned, other countries existed only through news media, books, and movies. In December 2011, my parents talked to my sister and I about moving; we were shocked and full of questions of what to expect. Thirty days was the all the time we had to get our lake home, farm, and passports ready before our departure to China. My family and I were moving to 7,500 miles away and had no idea when we would return to the United States.
There were so many emotions that went through me on January 20th 2012, but the greatest one was fear. Fear of the unknown made me sick because I didn’t know what to expect. The trip was going to be long, starting with the departure from Detroit to Shanghai on a 13-hour nonstop flight. Once we landed in Shanghai and got through customs, which was another ordeal, it was a 2-hour trip from Shanghai to Luxu. We were herded around in a large van filled with suitcases to what locals call a small village of 250,000 people. Our first stop was to our cold, dreary apartment.
I was about to experience China in a way that even my parents didn’t realize was possible. My senses were fully awakened the first morning we were in Luxu. The language barrier was the first problem I encountered. Next, the smells were so different, not
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I had a hard time getting used a new life in a different country; however, I learned how to be independent, how to become responsible with my life, and how to keep on living through the hard times. Moving to China helped me discover what I wanted to do once I graduate collage, I wanted to be a missionary nurse. One thing I won’t forget is the memory I made with my friends and family. We are very different in cultures, traditions, and language but in the end, we are all humans who deserve respect, understanding, and