Suchana Somai

ESLINTG 100

Lost-IN-Translation Essay

                                                                Realizations

When I hear the word the United States, the only thing that comes to my mind is freedom and development, but sometimes the reality is not the same as I expected in my mind. The reality can be different. At first, I was very happy and excited before coming to the United States. I came here with the mindset that my life was going to be very good. When I moved to the United States from my home country, Nepal, I realized that the place is not the same as what I expected. Thus, this made me realize not to expect much more about something that I was not familiar with.

I always wondered how it would feel to be in the big city where I have my freedom, where I can make my own decisions and I can live on my own. I never planned to come to Chicago but I used to admire the city from afar. The big buildings, multicultural tradition and the friendly environment. I used to search on Google and it used to show the buildings, the lake, and the transportation. Everything I saw in the pictures made an image in my mind. So, I built expectations high. I thought I would have a lot of opportunities to study, career development and jobs. I hoped I could complete my dream. I imagined working hard to support my family as well as studying.

However, when I came to Chicago, the reality was different. I did not have anyone to guide myself. The rules and system were different and it took me so long to understand it, and I have to stay within the rules and guidelines of this new culture. Some people here are so busy in their daily life, and they do not have enough time to look up at themselves. When I travel by train or bus, there are so many people, but no one talks to each other. Everyone is in a hurry and in their own world. Like this, the same happened to me because I am living alone, I have to do everything by myself including cooking, doing laundry and budgeting my money. I needed to make my decisions, and be responsible for myself. I don’t have time for myself, my family or my friends. I felt like I was in a cage, and I got stuck in this moment. I began to miss my home and my family.

Since I came here, I learned from the mistakes and experiences that sometimes expectation may lead to big disappointments in life. The reality is not the same as what I saw from outside and we need to go through the real world. At the same time, coming to the United States has taught me valuable lessons about independence. I learned to accept the situation and face the challenge without fear. This experience helped me to improve myself. I am grateful that I came here and I got the opportunity to grow and to feel more confident.