When I was in university, the girl in my upper bed was much older than me. Four times, she took the College Entrance Examination for the sake of bachelor degree. Three times, she had to attend a special class, and she called it “Senior Grade Four” (It’s actually extra year after graduation from senior high school).
Looking back these hard times, she always said that life without "senior grade four" was not complete for her. It sounds bitter, but very impressive. She also told me that as young girl, spending the first quarter of life smoothly, I really needed to get through something different, say, setbacks. Eventually her sound advice turned out to be reality, as I managed to go overseas study five months ago. It has turned over a new leaf in my life. I couldn’t help drawing the similar conclusion like hers that life without overseas study will be incomplete for me.
Nowadays, more and more people further their education abroad. The radical question for them to answer is definitely the reason why they do like this. "Dream" is likely to be the most common response, likewise, my diary was entitled "Pursuit for dream across the Ocean". Then what kind of dream of being here, in an entirely strange continent? The word comes to me is "transformation" or "revolution". It lies in breathing the different air of life; feeling the varied mood; meeting the new challenges; and provoking the unknown inner self. The moon abroad is by no means brighter than that in our own country, but it does look a little different, because the pair of eyes behind it has changed a little bit, say, with wider vision or from different angle.
Overseas life is sometimes quite routine: you go to lectures, do great deal of homework as well as the part-time job. You just spend long hours in the running train in the fixed line, day after day, month by month. You are truly too occupied to think of many other things, but have to arrange whatever trivial on your own. You may also get through something unusual with different flavors. It's like drinking the water, you are able to find out whether it's cold or warm on your own, but may also find it hard to describe it. Your survival ability is actually challenged. Like the traditional Chinese saying goes: "Knife is sharpened via the grindstone, whereas a person is tempered with the help of experiences." The significance is that you are actually exploded in a far more open space, what you see, you hear, and you do will certainly writes in the piece of paper of your life.
Overseas life is like writing in a blanket piece of paper, or filling in a balloon with fresh air. You learn when you get through. You suffer and survive the adversities, and you are more confident and capable when taking the next similar things come along. You can simply say to yourself: "I survive, and I'm strong."
Aussie Princess Mary (the Australian girl who marries the prince of Denmark) once said that the only constant in life was change, and without change you didn't grow, and to grow was to live. I take it as the best explanation for overseas study, that is, to learn something new, resulting in growth of self.
7/15/2004
