Undergraduate / 'It was March 12th of 2006' - Coming to the US - CommonApp Essay [7]

Greetings denizens of EssayForum! I have come forth with the most humble request, that you may bestow your literary genius on this essay. Thank you in advance.

Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

It was March 12th of 2006, when I first entered the U.S. I was nine at the time. I only knew how to say "Hello" and "Goodbye" in English. My knowledge about the US was that it was a country with "Golden Hills," a perfect place to live, where the birds chirped, and money poured endlessly. In addition, I heard that kids over there had piles of video games, and I promised all my friends that I was going to come back with the greatest games. With this in mind, I went on my maiden voyage out of China to join my mom in Atlanta.

I remember the day of my departure vividly. From a tiring sleep, I woke up at six at a hotel in Shanghai to catch a flight with my Dad at the Pudong International Airport following a thirty hour train ride from my hometown Hefei. I was relatively calm, unlike most of these stories that describe an antsy kid frothing with excitement. To me, the shouting, the car horns, the noisy airplanes, and the announcements all blending together to create a sense of sereneness and curiosity. I followed my Dad into the gate for International flights, and in front of me was a thick yellow line on the ground, the international boundary. Crossing that line meant that I was no longer under the governance of China.

The flight was an interminable nightmare, but it was a small price to pay for the next eight years of my life in America. I saw white clouds and blue skies for the first time in my life. I started 4th grade at the local Baker Elementary School, and I learned English in seven months. Gradually, I was able to grasp the culture of this new land and understand jokes people made. I watched hours of SpongeBob other shows to help me understand the culture and language. The moment that I knew I was assimilated was the moment when I understood every joke from one episode of the Colbert Report.

What they often forget to tell you when you leave China is that you will miss everything. I miss the local convenience store, spicy hotpots, street side restaurants, lamb kabobs, my friends, my bedroom, and the hustle and bustle of neighborhoods. You will be alone in a foreign land, and there will be onerous problems that you will have to deal with alone. Then I thought of the opportunity that I have been given, and I compared it with what I left behind. I realized that everything I have left behind will still be there, so why should I be mulling over the past when the brightest future presents itself? My parents brought me to America so that I can reach my full potential. I hope that I will.