Janie Boschma

When I told my American friends that my hometown has 13 Wal-Marts, they were very surprised. When I tell them that in addition to Wal-Mart, we have a Sam’s Club, Starbucks, McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut and so on, they are even more shocked. They can not believe that we have so many things in common.

Actually, the level of living conditions is almost the same in America as it is in developed cities in China. I come from Shenzhen, which is one of the most developed international cities in China, located next to Hong Kong.

When I brought my digital camera, which allows me to edit my photographs directly on the screen of the camera with my finger or with a pen, to America, my host family was amazed to see the new technology. They told me that in America, most stores do not sell that technology yet.

When I flew from my hometown to Eau Claire, I didn’t have too much culture shock. In China, it is very easy to watch American films and soap operas. When I was a young kid, I also watched Disney movies, and now I prefer Prison Break and The Apprentice. It was an interesting and strange feeling when I came here and was able to prove that, “Oh, the real American world is the same as I saw on TV.”

On the other hand, I feel there are a lot of differences between American daily life and Chinese daily life. The first thing that surprises me is our planner and professor’s syllabus. Americans have planners that last a whole year with all the activities already arranged and written in them. At the beginning, I was very curious as to how this was going to work.

How can someone know what he or she will be doing after a year? Will the activities really happen on the day they are written? In my home country, you may just know the general activities for the next semester. When I started classes, it really surprised me to see that all the activities happen as scheduled. I think it is very efficiently organized. This is so different.

Another difference was more painful – the large amount of homework in America. I always hear the scholars talk about the difference in the quality of education systems in America and China. They always say that the Chinese elementary school education is better than the American elementary school education; that’s why Chinese children are always good at math and science. On the contrary, America’s higher education is much better; that’s why there are so many Nobel Prize winners who attended American universities. I find it an interesting phenomenon that the education system that gives more homework earns a better reputation.

At Chinese universities, students don’t have so much homework after class. We have a lot of free time and we focus on experiencing society and interpersonal relations. It is a relaxing form of homework after our 12 years of hard work and competing for the college entrance examinations. But in America, higher education treats academics very seriously. Basically, I need to perform well in every class and do homework for every class. I’ve learned more about professional knowledge in America.

Sometimes I like to say that I don’t have “culture shock” but rather “country shock” when traveling to and from America.

Eau Claire is so beautiful; all the trees are changing colors now. Every day I can find new changes in nature. My favorite thing here is the environment – blue sky, clear water, fresh air and squirrel friends. My hometown, which has 10 million people, contains a dynamic living element and busy life. Pollution is still a serious problem. I had never ridden a horse before coming to America, but now I have. I had never see so many stars before seeing them here. I have never seen snow before, and I will see it here.

I love my hometown and I also love Eau Claire. They are different, but both have advantages. To me, this is just the experience of life.

Chen is a junior print journalism major, guest columnist for The Spectator and an international student from Shenzhen, China.