Thanks to my limits, I am able to be a better man.

When I am taking showers, waiting for buses, I like to think, to reflect myself. What makes me a better man than the old one in China? Why I feel that I'm more self-controlled? What motivate me to learn new things but not wasting time on facebook like before? So I make comparisons between the old and new conditions, surroundings, and I give you the answer--limits.

I don't mean the limits in my mind, but the limits to my material surroundings. When I was in China, I could get things so easily, without any effort that necessarily need to be taken. I was in my paradise--made by my father and mother. This made me to become like a spoiled children. I liked showing off my new iPhone, my expensive camera, and even my girlfriend. I was in a realm of illusion made of pride and superiority. I didn't stay humble. I didn't eager to learn. I didn't do any reflection.

However, living in America gives me a chance the experience limits. I began to notice that when a person is limited, no matter materially or physically, he or she will cherish what he owns right now and makes best use of it. It is like Hellen Keller wrote "Three Days to See", Beethoven composed "No.9 Symphony". I am too, more limited than before--I can't talk like a native, I can't buy whatever I want, I can't make a foriegn friend unless I make effort to do so. People here know nothing about me, and I need to show them who I am. This is a new world to me, and I am an explorer by myself.

Thanks to my limits, I am a new man. I write this blog to reflect myself when I have a fever, so thanks again to my limits--illness. I say this from the bottom of my heart.



Sent from my iPad

Location:Harley Dr,Columbus,United States

What I Am Really Like

What I am really like.

People surround me began to ask me what would you like to be in the future when I was still a young boy. What first emerged in my mind were those occupancy with a handsome salary as well as a high prestige. As a result, I picked up several jobs such as diplomat, doctor, manager, scientist.

After years, when I am 21, an adult who can stand on his own feet, is still confused by this question. But the qusestion changed a little bit, it is not what will I be in the future, but what I am really like---a question ask by myself, evoluted from the former one.

In fact, everyone have his own hobbies, and among those hobbies,they can be sorted by two parts---career and interests. Career ones are what a person can live on, and interest ones are the ways in which a person entertain himself. Obviously, the question is what I really like as an career hobby.

I like studying culture, especially culture diversity between different civilizations. I like art, ranging from music to photographing. I like computers and electronic device. I like arguing with people, I like doing critical thinkings. Among those hobbies, I believe I can choose some of them to apply to my career, leaving the rest to be a resource where my inspirations may come from, in this way, I am able to form a pattern---the way I am thinking.

Football,God and OSU

What is American culture? Big question!Social diversity, culture variety, freedom and liberty? These questions are so complex and obscure that I'm not going to answer them, instead, I will present the American culture based on my own life experience, here, in Columbus.

Football

Columbus, named same as the great navigator who discovered America, is a city with 800,000 people. People here love watching football, playing football. On the home game day, people wear red clothes, gathered in the Ohio Stadium, or in the sports bar, watching OSU team to get a touchdown. In fact, I don't really know the rules of football, how to goal or how to defence, but since I saw people cheering in McDonald's(watching football) or the traffic jam(caused by the game) during home game day, I have begun to understand that football is some kind of bond which unites buckeyes together. It's a convention, a spirit, a culture.

God

Captured  in an American church

I go to church every Friday, picked up by my host family father, a Christian, who gives me a lot of help when I first came to America. I have never been to a church before, neither did I know anything about Bible. The first day to church was exciting, we have a fancy dinner which even contains chinese food, a wonderful music performance(singing Christian songs) as well.I have never said that I believe in God, but they don’t force me to do that, the Christian said it’s OK, at least you can know what is Bible about by studying it. More than 80 percent of people in United States are Christian(according to CIA);God tells them to be good to strangers and God is the one who sets up a moral standard in American society.

OSU

OSU is a huge university, bigger than any university in China, maybe the biggest one in the world. OSU has thousands of students from all over the world. Like a traditional state university, OSU has a wide range of majors providing for students who have plenty of interests, so that I can learn whatever I want at OSU.

Limited by the experience I have in America now, I can not tell too much of what American culture is, but I will read more books, go to more classes, attend more after-class activities, visit more cities, and, experience life.

self-introduction

My name is Zhengyuan Yu.This is the very first time that I come to United States.I was born in Nanjing(anyone who was born in Nanjing,please shout out).My family and I move to Shanghai when I was 16.But still,I can't speak shanghainese.So some may say,you spend your 5 years in Shanghai and still can not speak Shanghainese?For me,Shanghainese is almost like a foreign language.Most importantly,people surround me don't speak shanghainese often.Learning a foreign language is difficult for us at our age because we have alrealy grown a chinese tongue and chinese logic.We think as well as speak in a chinese way which is quite different from English.So hard as it is,I am gonna conquer it.

I like photographing.My father bought a professional DSLR in 2009.After that,I began to love photographing.Being a photographer requires a person to be sensitive enough to suroundings,brave enough to take photos of strangers,patient enough to wait for the right timing.A successful photographer is always a good communicator.I found the most difficult part of photographing is taking pictures of people.In contrast to scenery,people are more alive,variable,especially in their face.I found a lot of fun in observing people's  facial expression and catching smiles of them.Of course,I'm not a photographer.Just for fun:)

I like music.But it is a pity for me that I can't play any instrument(maybe some guitar).I listen to Tchaikovsky since I was a little boy.I began to love pop music when I was in junior high school.Backstreet boys,westlife,as well as Britney Spears.But now,Backstreet boys no longer publish album as good as they did before;Britney neither(personal view).Fortunally,I found an awesome band----Coldplay!I am waiting for their new album this year and it is coming.People is growing up all the time,but hardly their favorite musicians.A band or a singer is belong to a particular generation and this generation is probably not going to like other bands.Like
Elvis Presley for the 50s,The Beetles for the 60s(Surely both of them are classical).

When it comes to America,I would like to say this is a beautiful country.Blue sky,green grass,squirrels all around.People here are warm-hearted and polite.Columbus is a wonderful place.So what makes United States such a beautiful country?I'm a chinese so I always have a desire to make a comparison between China and America.I find American people live for the life,while chinese people live by the life.This is specially for the reason that China has a huge poplution and people are driven by the living pression.

Now,away from parents and friends in China,though I may feel lonely sometimes,I have more chance to get to know new people around the world and learn leading knowledge in my major.There is no unconditional gain.

In the end,nice to get to know you guys,hope we have a good time in Composition 106.