ESL100 Spring 2026

          Many years later, an old man with a head of white hair recalls the past when a young man with inspiration and enthusiasm came to Zhengzhou. The old man is my grandfather. Back in 1953, Chinese people had just experienced civil war and the new China had been established for four years; moreover, every place in the country needed to rebuilt. At that time, the government of China proclaimed the First Five Year Plan because the country needed a lot of technicians, workers and service industry personnel to support the development of central and western regions. My grandfather took a train from Guangzhou to Zhengzhou to respond to the country's call. My grandfather took root in Zhengzhou, and he not only became a strong and accountable man, but also his spirit inspires me to become an accountable and diligent man.          Strong willpower and accountability are two essential qualities for an adult. In 1905, my grandfather was f...

     I had never heard what “Ching Chong”, a racist word for Chinese people, meant until I moved to the United States. The United States is an immigrant country, where many people from all over the world come to live, such as Chinese, Mexicans, or Americans. Even though people who are living in this country today aren’t Native Americans, some people think this country only belongs to them. Therefore, some people who live here are proud of themselves, and some people don’t want other cultures or people coming to their country. Even though I have experienced racism many times since I moved to this country, I know that there are still many friendly people living in the United States.      Before I moved to the United States, I didn’t realize that there were many racist people in this country. As a result, I had never thought about racism until I moved to the United States. Because I never saw immigrants from other countries in China. Since I moved to this coun...

               I don’t want to be the baby girl of my parents anymore! A year ago  on  my  nineteenth  birthday, I said  that I had a wish for my  new age, but it didn’t change a lot until I moved to the U nited  S tates  last year. Looking back, I see how I h ave  changed in the last few months. To be honest, I used to be a daughter who always ask ed  before I d id  anything, which I soon found that i t didn ’ t work  in  the United States . I was stuck in the middle of two different world s . I tr ied  to figure out how I could survive between two different cultures .Could I  forget  my old  self to totally engage in the new one , s ince my old code didn’t work to unlock the new world that I am facing. Definitely, the answer should be NO. Therefore, I tried to find the balance between  my  two worlds. In a word, it’s high time for me to find the n...

When I first arrived in Chicago, I quicky realized that even simple habits from my home country, like raising my hand to stop the bus, didn’t fit in here. Small actions that felt normal to me suddenly made me stand out, and I often didn’t understand why. This difference in cultural expectations made communicating with others confusing, especially when everyone seemed to interact in their own way, both in person and through the internet. Many habits that I used to have in my country have changed because I’m now in a different environment. As a result, living in Chicago, I have struggled to adjust the way I communicate with others, and at the same time, becoming independent has changed my way of thinking. Living in Chicago made me understand that the belief I brought from Peru that speaking to everyone would bring me more opportunities was not true at all. I am from Lima, the capital of Peru, where people talk to everyone because many people already know each other. Some people think the...

Prison School and Freedom School                     People all over the world know that the United States and China are countries which really focus on their education , but they have two completely different systems. Before coming to the United States, my grandmother who has lived in the United States for twenty years already told me that I can get a completely different education in the United States, but I did not believe her. Since I came to the United States, I have changed my mind. I have realized that the education here is more suitable for me, and the education has changed my life.         The first significant change is that I do not need to be a school dog. I used to believe that schools should force students to learn what they need, and students should always follow teachers; in addition, the students should stay in schools all the time. I...

PICTURE .     Imagine being a person who believes that honesty is one of your main personality traits but you live in a place where it is almost a taboo to be honest. When I was living in Algeria I loved expressing myself, and I enjoyed being spontaneous and sincere with it. I was always chatting with everyone, but that changed completely when I landed in Chicago. Now that I moved to Chicago, expressing myself transparently is harder to practice. Living in Chicago changed my personality by making me be less honest, and that makes me see myself differently. In Algeria one of the biggest values is honesty. I think that being brutally honest with someone is better than pleasing them with a lie. I always want to be straightforward with everyone, when they ask for my opinion. I deeply believe that being direct is where a good communication should start. In Chicago, whenever I try to give an honest advice to someone, they think that I am just being mean to them. Meanwhile, I think t...

 Lei Bi           I often hang out and drank with my friends when I was in China, and we not only talked about anything, but also there was nobody offended by us when we talked in English. However, when I arrived the United States, the situation changed. I was so nervous and looked around if there were Americans while who were looking at me because I saying a word in Chinese might make many Americans in general confused. Thus, it makes me think deeply why this word always misleads Americans. I can't speak Chinese wherever I want to now because there are a language barrier and a cultural gap between China and the United States. I try to hide a par of myself to adapt American life.          Now that I am living in the United States, I realize that unknown expressions might confuse Americans. Therefore, I need to watch my mouth when I speak Chinese. I am always so nervous when I speak Chinese with my parents or friends. There is a...