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As people start their life in a foreign country, homesick and loneliness will always make them doubt whether they have made a right decision to go abroad. Like Liu said in the reading, he could hardly live in an environment fulfilled with conversations he barely understood and strange attitudes people kept towards him. Therefore, staying with any Chinese people, even with a stranger, could let Liu feel more comfortable. In my opinion, I only agree with part of Liu’s speech on his experience in the US since different people may have different situation.

Sharing some similar experience, I felt a little sympathetic towards Liu because the same situation was encountered during my first week in the US and I also didn’t know what to do. For example, one of the professors in my college made an appointment with me to talk about my transfer course, but because of my poor expression on English, after the one-hour meeting he even could not understand what course I had taken in China. That was how I first communicate with America in an official case and it will last long in my memory.

Although this failed appointment made me dispirited in some degree, I finally did not give up communicating with native students and professors. The reason is simple. To live with other Chinese and speak in Chinese makes our life easy while we are abroad, but that will not contribute to our goal of studying in English spoken countries. More chances to speak in mother tongue, less opportunities to take part in the culture of the country we stay in. As a result, much more misery will come to us when we go to work and study with local people.

Even if we feel a little bitter in the beginning, it is better for us Chinese students to be active to speak in English and stay with foreign classmates. As a Chinese old saying goes, “when bitterness is finished, sweetness begins”.