By Zhengxuan Tan | Computer Science | Class of 2021
Academic Term of Essay Subject: Fall 2019

Prize Winner

As a Chinese student major in computer science, there will and should be a lot of troubles when switching the language because most words and facilities we used are not common. That’s also why it surprised me that the language of academics like some proper nouns is not the most confusing thing that troubles me, but the different customs and culture. After passing the IELTS test, I thought my English level was good enough for normal communication, while the reality hit me in the head hard.

The first obstacle was when I went to a brunch restaurant. When I was ordering egg, I was asked how I wanted my egg cooked. The first idea came to my mind was “how can I choose it?” “Is it like when I ordered steak, should I say medium rare or medium?” My friend probably  found out my confusion, laughed and said to me, “You can choose from scrambled, sun-side up, over easy, or boiled,” and he explained what each one like to me. This kind of awkward thing happened a lot when I go to restaurants. It also happened when I went to fast food restaurant for the first-time order. After ordering the meal I wanted, the waiter handed me a empty cup but not the drink I ordered. I asked the waiter about my curiosity. He just laughed and pointed to a place nearby—a drinking machine was just over there. What’s more, the ketchup’s offering way was also different from Chinese packed ketchup bag, but a huge bucket of ketchup on the serving bar, people can grab a little cup and fill whatever they want.

It also confused me that whenever someone made a sneeze, I always heard a “bless you” from different people. At first, I thought it was because that are a lot of people believe in god in the United States, but when I asked the people around me, it does not seem to be like that. I googled my question as soon as I arrived home, turning out that a sneeze typically precedes illness. For a reason, people always say “bless you” to pray for those who sneeze for a good health.

After more than a month living in America, I gradually get used to those different culture and customs. I found myself falling love with this country with diversification, which allows different cultures to come together and to communicate with each other. Nowadays, I can order my food fluently in a restaurant, knowing the basic procedure during ordering. I also say “bless you” when people make a sneeze, hoping them feel better.