The year of 2001 is another turning point in my life. Right after the mid-term exams in Singapore, I went back to China for a visit before the journey of USA. The idea of staying in my hometown for a few months thrilled me, but when I thought of going to a strange country to study, my happiness turned into fear, and sadness.
Now is August, the year 2003. Two years now that I have been living in America. Five years now that I have been studying abroad. Not a month has passed since my birthday, but I am already questioning what to do with my life.
I am studying in a high school in Los Angeles, California. The first year of high school is a bit harsh for me, for I attended school in October, a month after school had opened. People would think that with the few years of studying in Singapore, my English should be good. But in fact, I would say I have lousy English.
I was sent to ELD 4, the last and highest level for people who have poor English skills. 99% of my class were Chinese, some of them have been in USA for seven years, some five, some two. Compared to them, I am a smart girl. You see, they thought that I should start with ELD 1 or 2 with the few years of English I've learned. But to me, going to ELD 4 is a disgrace. I should be in regular English class with the three years of English education in Singapore.
The first semester of my freshman year was gone with 3 B and 3 A for my report card. I have to say I was satisfied with the result, seeing as how I need time to readjust to the new study enviroment. My grade in the second semester was better than the first semester, which made me happy. And for the next year, I strived to be among the best in every class, and got my wish. I finished my second year (sophomore) of high school with all A in both semester, and my rank in different classes is at least in the top 10 for the lowest and the first for the highest.
When you see this grade, you might scoff and say, "Yeah, I can see you have good grades, for every class you get A. (Which is 90 or above) But so what? Everyone knows how easy the study is in USA. You are a Chinese with five years of primary school education in China, you should be able to get good grades. What are you boasting for?" But the truth is, studying in USA, is not as easy as you might think.
(to be continued)
B.L.
