Fun Evening

Ting Hu

Fun Evening

             Before I met my husband, I had never thought that I would move to another country to live. Since I moved to Chicago, I saw a diversity of cultures and a new world. I feel both excited and lost. Especially when the evening comes, it reminds me that I have been away from my familiar environment. In China, people like to go out in the evening. No matter in which city, there are a lot of interesting activities in the evening, such as friends gathering, walking, dancing and singing karaoke. Chinese people enjoying these collective activities, and I also like these activities. These activities can help people to reduce stress in their daily life. At the same time, I used to spend  more face to face time with friends. However, unlike many Chinese people that like the culture of collective life, some Americans prefer to have personal space. Since I moved to the United States, my nightlife activities have changed a lot.

            When I lived in China, after dinner, I used to go out for a walk. A lot of Chinese people all have this habit because they think that walking after dinner is great exercise. Whether I took a walk around the lake, park or community, I would see many people walking. I used to walk with my friends and family because we could talk about our joys and annoyances. We also shared each other’s happiness. When I was walking, I could enjoy the beautiful views,sunset and moon. It make me truly relax, but since I moved to Chicago, I found that many Americans prefer to go out by car. In addition, in this summer I heard some news about robberies and shoots that tend to  happen in the evening. Even though I can meet a few of people walking, I'm still a bit worried about my personal security. Since I moved to Chicago,I rarely go out for a walk in the evening.

             In addition, in the evening, young Chinese people like to go downtown for dinner, shopping  watching movies and singing karaoke. China is still in the process of urbanization, and more and more Chinese are choosing to settle in the city these days. However, the United States has completed the urbanization, so some Americans prefer to live in the suburbs because it has a better environment. In China, some big cities’ population are already more than ten million, such as Beijing, Shanghai, so in the evening downtown is a quite lively place. Stores always open until 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. Some stores are even open 24 hours. Young people have enough time shopping and dating in the evening. My friends and I used to go to downtown to watch movies and go shopping. For Chinese people, another important thing is to eat delicious food. However, In the evening of the United States, most of stores closed easier than in China. I usually don’t see too many people on the street, It makes me feel that downtown is deserted in the evening. 

             Finally, Chinese elders also like to dance in the evening. Like my mother, every night she likes to go to dance. Chinese people call this dance square dancing because  their dancing is in the the city square. It is very popular in every city of China. Each square dance team has dozens or even hundreds of people. Since my mother participated in square dance team, not only did her body get healthier, she also met more friends. She has a good relationship with these friends, which let her become more positive than before. She Spent several weeks living in Chicago this year, but it was not suitable for her because she had to leave square dance and her friends.

             Thus, Since I moved to Chicago, I have lost some fun activities in the evening. I away from my friends and parents. My nightlife has lost a lot of color. I like a collective lifestyle, so I really miss those lively and cheerful nights in China. which let me realized the difference between Chinese and American culture. Certainly, I think that I can experience different cultures, and this is my honor. In the future, I hope I can find something funny activities again in the evening, and I can better embrace the American culture. 

Loneliness

Loneliness

Goes to the United States had been my dream in my early life. As the United States is the world’s most famous country, I believed that I would realize my dream when I lived with the most talented and famous people. However, when I got there, I realized that it was a big challenge for me. While I was seeking the road success, something I considered to be important in life was slowly disappearing. The longing for my family and my friends increased the loneliness in my heart and made me feel lost.

At the beginning, I was really longing for my parents. In China, I was living with my parents, so we spent a lot of time to stay together. I would share my situation with them whether they were good or not. Then, my parents would give me some useful advice, which was from their life’s experience. Furthermore, I was the pearl in my parents’ eyes. They would be proud of my success and worry about so many things in my daily life, which always became the cause of our quarrels. Since I arrived in the United States, the situation has change. My parents are still living in China, but I am here in the United States. My house is no longer warm or has happiness inside. Instead, it just remains cold and lonely.

Beside my parents, I also feel separated from my big family. In my family, I was the only girl in my generation. “Lady first” seems the motto in my cousin’s minds. I was like the young flower, which was cared by the plant workers in the greenhouse. However, in the United States, I am the only person in my family who lives here. I don’t like the flower that stayed in the greenhouse. It is now out, suffering the strong storm. In addition, when I was in China, I was living not far away with my relatives, so we could get together to celebrate festivals. That is why I was so eager for my holidays and festivals. Since I have been lived in the United States, the Chinese festivals have become no so special expect to identify who am I. Last Thursday was my second Mid-autumn Festival in the United States, except the moon-cake, there was not any other special meaning for me. I was busy for my work and didn’t have time to prepare a big meal. When I went home, it was so quite in my house. It made me feel like the day was not in festival.

In addition, I am also missing my old friends who are living far away from me. In China, I was confident when I spent time with my old friends because I knew them since my childhood. I could talk anything that I wanted. When I arrived in the United States, I was also looking forward to this pure friendship. Disappointingly, the United States is a salad bowl which contains a mix of many cultures. With the different languages and individual backgrounds, it sometimes makes me feel like an invisible estrangement when I wanted to make friends with others. In Chicago, I have a Japanese friend who always tries her best to help others. We created the study team after class to improve our English. However, as the different language, it is hard for us to express our ideas and needed to use the dictionary to help us. Would you like to talk to your friend who always looking up worlds in a dictionary?

When I am in the United States, I want to get rid of the lonely, but it seems difficult for me. Cutting off the connection with my family and friends has made me losing the way on my life, but I know that the time will change it. I will find the equilibrium point to balance the relationship between my family and me. Eventually, I will build my own friendship in the future because I believe that another window will open to replace the one closed when I was in China.

Homesick by Silvana Mirto

Homesick

Flavors have the power to connect one’s feelings in a deep way with specific time, place, or memory.  It's incredible how the taste of some food can touch our heart connecting our feelings with experiences in the past.  Also, the taste combined with the smells are the perfect airplane to fly through time.  Sadly, those combinations are missing for me, or they are very hard to find in Chicago.  Some flavors and eating habits from my country, Argentina, are things that I am constantly searching for in Chicago.  Likewise, it's truly hard to find the same flavor in the food because it will never taste or feel like home.

                             

First, fruits and vegetables have totally different taste compared to Argentina.  In the supermarket, they look perfect, colorful, and also they smell very good.  Sometimes, it's like I'm inside a gallery because everything is so organized, perfectly matched, and bright. Walking through each hall is pleasant for me. Unfortunately, that experience is just a gift for our vision and for our eyes.  In general, most of fruits and vegetables taste unreal. They don't have the same favor that they usually have in Argentina or elsewhere.  For example, tomatoes don't taste like tomatoes, and apples don't taste like apples. When I have the opportunity to shop at the farmer’s market, it's when fruits and veggies are similar to my country.  They are not perfect from the outside, but really tasty from the inside. Going to the farmer’s market is a great moment where I can feel less homesick remembering the small stores where I used to buy fresh groceries at home.

        

Another important point is the sobremesa. That is the time that most of Argentinians spend immediately after each meal chatting and enjoying each other's company.   After lunch or dinner, people from Argentina usually continue sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee, talking with friends and family, and relaxing. At home, it’s easily to do sobremesa, but it's complicated when eating in restaurants.  Going to restaurants in Chicago is like when I have to deposit a check in the bank. I wait for the cashier, and then I get the money from the check, and that's all, I must leave.  At the restaurant, I wait for the waiter, order my meal, eat, and immediately and by magic I have the check over the table.  You must pay and Alakazam! It's the end of the show.  In general, all the restaurants in Chicago are the same, but I have found few exceptions like Davanti Enoteca or Tre Soldi that I genuinely love.  It's such a big pleasure to have a place where after dinner nobody, directly or indirectly, insinuates that every costumer should leave.

                          

Furthermore, meat is the most important part of the diet of every Argentinian, and Argentinian BBQ is unique and irreplaceable.  Sharing time with friends is always synonymous with Asado, the name of the barbeque in Argentina.  Doing asado is a ritual in my hometown, Mendoza, because each step is very important and enjoyable.  First, the asador, who makes de BBQ, has to start burning the firewood, and when the coals are ready, he puts the meat on the grill.  The asador has to do this process early if everybody wants to eat on time.  While everything happens, friends and family could enjoy eating some appetizers, drinking a glass of Malbec, and chatting.  In Chicago, I discovered a new way of BBQ which is easier and faster than in Mendoza.  Time is not important because the meat is ready in just a couple of minutes using a gas grill.  It's easy and fast to do it with this kind of grill. Frequently, my husband and I make BBQ at home with friends, a new style of BBQ for us.  For example, adding corn and burgers are part of the new ritual for us in the United States.  Cooking meat using a gas grill has a different flavor, totally incomparable with the delicious taste that the firewood gives to the meal.

          

Flavors, the way to cook, and the eating habits are important points that every Argentinian in America has to adapt to.  To be honest, Chicago has given me a lot of alternatives to shorten the huge distance between my old and new home.  I'm an open minded person and easy going, so I accept change for some aspects of my life.  Perhaps, those are the reasons why I can be thankful and not picky about the things I miss.  Every immigrant should encourage themselves to discover new tastes, new places, and new things to do.  Life is a constant adventure.  People are human beings that easily adapt their lives to new places using their creativity and ingenuity to not suffer homesickness.