In clear and beautiful July weather ten months ago, I boarded the plane bounded for San Francisco, 8568 miles away from home. I traveled light and carried with me only the American dream, which led me to Silver Creek high school.
For the past year, I notice that Silver Creek has unfolded as a place most like a roller coaster ride: suspenseful, anxious, yet extremely thrilling and memorable. There were times my heart screamed for a pause but there were also moments I wished the adrenaline running in my veins had never stopped. Going to Silver Creek at first was hard. I had to part ways with friends, families, my daily routines and, in some aspect, my reliance on my parents for this new life of adulthood. People in the US are so diverse that they all seemed to come out of a magical kaleidoscope, which somehow makes me feel like the odd one out. It’s like when the ride shoots up into the air, though you’re surrounded by a lot of people, you’re still alone and scared. At that moment, I realized that choosing this life, like riding a roller coaster, I couldn’t hit the pause button. All I could do was to embrace the turbulence and toughen up.
How to be more resilient isn’t the only thing Silver Creek has taught me. It has also shown me that, regardless of our appearance, race, religion and skin color, we can connect and intertwine with each other in many different ways. I learned to celebrate and respect the individuality and diversity of everyone, something I would never be able to learn if I had stayed at home.
Yet, my biggest takeaways from Silver Creek must be the lessons I’ve learned from my teachers. In Ms. Weckesser’s Journalism class, with her high demand bordering on strictness, I’ve learned to speak my mind, accept constructive criticism, and grow from my mistakes. While learning English with Mr. Seal, seeing the way he kneels down and listens attentively to my concerns as if he was being told a national secret, I found a burning urge inside me to pursue my passion. And from my Psychology teacher, Ms. Williams, who reminds me of my beloved grandma, I’ve learned that life is like an equation, which I must learn to balance with knowledge, ideals, dreams, and most importantly sympathy for the others. Each and every lesson from them has played an important role in the formation of myself.
It dawns on me that if I hadn’t come to Silver Creek, if I had been too scared to ride the roller coaster, I could never have known how strong I’m as a person. I would never have observed the world up high in the air to see how big, amazing, and beautiful it could be. Silver Creek has stretched all of my boundaries for the better; I have been prepared in the best way possible not only for my next adventure in college but also for the rest of my life.