*This column originally was printed in the Monday Feb. 15 edition of The Daily Eastern News

Two years ago, after several time changes and a nearly 27- hour flight, I finally arrived in the United States. After three hours by bus, I arrived to Eastern and walked into Douglas Hall. I told myself, “Well, this is it. Now you can only count on yourself. Make some friends and enrich your experience.”

The next morning, I woke up early and gave myself a big smile. I walk out of my room and decided to say hello to everyone I saw. At that moment, I saw a man going down the stairs.

“Good morning!” I said with a smile.

He was silent and had a disdainful face. I won’t forget that face. That face ruined my good mood and reduced my confidence to make friends with American students.

I am not complaining, that was just a rare experience I have shared before with my friends. Many people have heard that story. Some are Chinese, some are American and some are from other countries. That is true now, I have made many friends at Eastern, and that of memory has become a joke to share.

I believe every Chinese student may have experienced some unpleasant moment since they came here, but different people could have different reaction. Right now, there are about 30 Chinese students and scholars living or working in Eastern. In my opinion, many people don’t really know about those silent Chinese students. What do they usually do? Why do some of them seem odd?

Sophia was the first Chinese person I met at Eastern. She showed her skill on how to make friends with everyone as I was still pretending to not exist in Douglas Hall.

Her diplomacy was so impressive that other Chinese students always called her “The International Flower” -a Chinese word that translates from social butterfly.

Sophia was a special case because many of the Chinese students prefer to hang out with other Chinese students rather than American students. There isn’t a language barrier, but cultural inertia seems to be a larger issue.

Feb. 7 was Chinese’s Spring Festival. Chinese people might not have felt satisfied of the New Year’s Eve dinner or the Spring Festival Gala’s performance, but no one will miss the most important part, “grab the red packet.” In traditional Chinese culture, a red packet is a monetary gift packed by red envelope given by elder people during holidays or special occasions. It is a symbol of good luck and wishes.

As a country with a long cooking culture, many Chinese students’ cultural inertia is reflected in their eating habit.
Several of my friends are willing to drive long distances to places like Indianapolis or Chicago just for cooking materials such as chicken feet, pig bones and dried bean curd sticks. Many American people would feel that these things are strange, but each time when we invite new friends to dinner, we change their opinions. That is the most attractive thing about being a part of the multi-culture campus with others at Eastern.

It is the year of the monkey in Chinese zodiac, meaning people born in 1992 are facing their recurrent year of the 12-year cycle, and I hope everyone has great year.

It is an honor to come to Eastern, and I hope more people could make friends with international students and embrace a new culture.

Qian Cheng is a sophomore journalism major. He can be reached at 581-2812 or qcheng@eiu.edu.