Opening a door

Opening A Door

When I arrived at the door of CBA building where I took business class, a boy who stood in front of me opened the door for me. When I arrived at the door of dining hall where I had a lunch, a boy helped me open the door. When I walked closed to the door of supermarket where I bought food and commodities, a man also opened the door for me. If I told my girlfriends about these in China, they would think I was very popular. But, unfortunately, it was in America.

I enjoyed such treatment in America for two years, and my reaction to this behavior changed from uncomfortableness to acceptance calmly. In the first few days I stayed in America, when I wanted to get into some buildings, once there was a person opened the door of the building earlier than me and saw I stood behind him or her, the person would pull the door for me until I hold it. It was a polite and warm behavior, but why did it make me feel uncomfortable? I could not remember who helped me open a door in China, even though I lived in China for 20 years. In China, we do not have this habit of helping others open a door in our daily life. Thus, when I was treated like this, I felt extremely flattered and did know how to respond to them. When I adapted to American life gradually, I knew this is just a very normal and polite behavior. When they open or hold a door for me, I just say “thank you” to them as other people did. And I learned to open doors for others. I felt though it was just an unimpressive behavior, it conveyed the respect among people.

Last summer break, I planed to go back to China and booked flight from Chicago to Shanghai. When I arrived at airport in the early morning, I was informed the flight was delayed. But because of the delay, I knew a psychology professor who took the same flight with me. He was in his fifties and wore formal clothes. He told me he was a psychology teacher in University of Nanjing which is a famous university in China. Because of his experience in China, we had many topics to talk and he invited me to eat breakfast with him in upstairs. When we arrived at the escalator, I let him go first because I thought he was older. However, he let me go first and said, “ Lady first.” After we sat down in the chairs in second floor, I told him juniors should let their elders go first in China. He told me he knew that but lady first is the basic principle in U.S rather than age. So I was spoiled again by American society principle.

After I came back from Seattle, I took the flight to Shanghai immediately. I was very excited when the plane landed in Shanghai airport. After all, I left this land for 1 year. However, the moment I walked out from the door of plane, my throat felt very sore because of the high index of P.M 2.5. I breathed American fresh air for one year, so I could not get used to the serious haze of Shanghai quickly.  Though I felt uncomfortable, I still had to take my heavy baggage, which was filled with American vitamin and other nourishments. Because my mom worried about the quality of Chinese medicine, she gave me a list of medicine before I went back and asked me to buy them all. I told my mom that my friends’ mom asked them to buy luxuries but she asked me to buy vitamins from the other side of earth. I tried my best to move my baggage to the cart. I felt so sad because no one helped me, and I thought if it was in America, there would be someone to help me. I walked to the custom pushing my baggage. When I arrived at the door of custom, no one walked in front of me. The moment I intended to get into custom, an Chinese man in his thirties rushed in front of me suddenly, and walked into the door left with a glance to me. I was scared by his sudden and impolite behavior. But he reminded me that I arrived in China.

Deng Xiaoping’s reform and opening-up policy opened the door of China to the world and made China develop quickly, and that made the world marvel. China became an economic power that makes it have more speaking power in the world. But does China speak and act beautifully in front of the world? Chinese bought expensive apartments in Europe and U.S; luxury stores full of Chinese people; sports cars ran in the road in big cities. In the opposite side, we can see: Some Chinese spit and throw garbage everywhere; Chinese manufactured substandard milk powder; Chinese young people raced in city streets. As the fast development of Chinese economy, Chinese people’s souls and quality have not caught up the improved life level. Many Chinese pursue material life blindly and want to keep up with developed countries, but forget to improve themselves in spiritual civilization.

Regardless of economic difference between China and America, we can see the huge gap of these two countries in a small detail— opening a door. It is a general habit in America but difficult to see in China. Not only did I realize this condition of China, more and more Chinese realized it and appeal Chinese people improve self-quality. Developed network helps us face the world, let us realize our wrongly behavior by comparing with people’s behavior in other countries and correct inappropriately behavior.

More and more Chinese students study in America benefiting from Deng Xiaoping’s “opening a door” policy. Not only does study in America developed knowledge, we also experience American life which is anther kind of education. I found the feeling change to “opening a door” was also appeared in my Chinese friends. In the beginning, Chinese boys had no habit of opening a door for girls. When we walked into a restaurant, they just opened the door and got into the restaurant naturally which made me feel a gap by comparing to them with American boys. After few months, I thought they also saw what American boys did and reflected on that and did some change— opening a door for girls and let girls go first. I saw they were very proud when they did it. About one year later, when the boys opened doors for others, proud expression disappeared and they just thought they were doing what they should do.

When we regard helping others as a necessary thing, we are closer to civilization. One day, when Chinese students who study in U.S, Europe or another counties go back to China, they not only go back with developed knowledge, but also bring back foreign good habits. These good habits can not just influence surrounding people more than can transmit to their next generation. Improving national quality is unrealistic to accomplish in an action and relies on everyone’s effort. Deng Xiaoping opened a door for us, so why don’t we open a door for others?

My Overall ENGL 150 Self-Evaluation

       I think my writing skills improved a lot after studied the writing class. Before took this class, I thought I could not complete such long essay. But after the teacher’s direction and read essays in the book, I knew how to choose my topic, how to expand my essay and how to organize my essay to make it more meaningful and logical. For instance, when we began to study the first chapter— Autobiographical, I was worried that what topic I should choose and how to write it. However, after read some essays in the book, I knew the logic and methods these authors used and I tried to imitate them and began to build my organization in my brain. I wrote a small story of my childhood as an essay in the book. And I told people what my childhood was and some of my personality. That is what teacher and book taught me— wrote what you wanted to show your readers.

       Writing the observation essay and concept essay are big challenges to me. When I prepared the observation essay, I had to plan my schedule which include chose topic, interviewed related people, prepared interview questions what you wanted to know, and arranged time with the people I wanted to interview. These works were all new to me so I felt stressed about this essay. But the first essay told me just fellow the teacher’s direction. So I did as teacher told us and completed works step by step. Though I did not get a high grade in the essay, but I did try a lot of new things and learn a lot. As for the concept essay, I wrote an anthropology essay which was similar with this essay. So I knew the process of such essay preparation. But what made me felt challenged was time. Writing academic essay requires a lot of materials which I had to take long time to find. But final was close, I really had no enough time to get so many materials. Thus, I tried to find a topic with which I was familiar. That would decrease the demand of materials. Then I searched materials on the internet and library and concentrated some useful articles for my essay. Finally, I completed my essay on time which advanced my confidence again.

The main things I learned in this class are the skills to develop essays and good attitudes when I faced difficulties. I will apply these skills to my finance articles, and I think these skills can help me write more high-quality articles. And I appreciate the attitude I learned in this class, which are careful, serious and clam. These attitudes will make me not feel loss when I face heavy works of my major.

I think I did not do my best in this class. Sometime I did not read all of the essays teacher required and did not analyze why the authors wrote like this. I think if I completed these, I would write better essay than before.

Reflecting on reflection essay

What I am most pleased with my essay is that I compared the habit differences between China and U.S. and reflected current society situation in China from these habits. I was inspired by the reflection readings— The “F Word”, which described some stories about author’s name. And the author reflected some challenges and entanglements that immigrants had to face in America by these stories. I got some inspirations from this essay and thought I could write my experience in America and compare it with my experience in China to show people the civilization gap between these two countries.  Thus, I opened my essay with a detail that Americans opened doors for me and leaded to other life habits in America and China. And I tried to show people the change that appeared in Chinese as what the author of The “F Word” wrote in the end—Americans began to learn new names.

Developing ideas about the way people are and the ways they interact by personal experience and observation is limited fairly. But, it is an effective genre to show what the society is and what people think. We are all members of the society and we all have our value to judge the society. There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people’s eyes. Though the data getting from researches and interviews is more fair and objective, but personal ideas can show the original thoughts of every person in the society. Adopting a conversational will be more vivid and attractive than a formal tone. I think both gender and ethnic group influenced the ideas I came up with for my essay. The differences that Chinese and American societies treat women made me feel loss when I experienced it. I think women should fight for their rights and Chinese people should improve ourselves in quality to avoiding being criticized by the world. I could always read reflective opinions and essays on the Internet. As previously I write, personal experience reflects personal value and these values are limited. When we read others’ reflective essays, it makes us know others’ opinions and realize our own weakness and remind us to change to be better.

Reflection of Observation

1. What I am most pleased with my essay is that I described the details of Sheldon museum I observed and the mood before and after I observed it. I learned it from the reading—A Trip to the Dentist. In this essay, author described the location and appearance of Children’s Dentistry in the first paragraph. It told readers what the dentistry looked like and expressed the feelings of author by the words he used. And the author wrote his new feelings after observation and interview in the last paragraph. So I described the impression that I saw Sheldon museum in the first time. I wanted to show readers what the museum looked like and the feelings the first time I saw it. In the end, I wrote my feeling after interviewed the museum to contrast with my feeling in the beginning.

2. The reason I chose Sheldon museum as my observation subject was a book. When I read a book written by a famous Chinese artist who wrote a lot of knowledge about gallery and museum in the book, I was cautious about the backstage of museums and galleries. Thus, I determined to interview the manger of Sheldon museum to get more information about museum rather than just focus on the surface. I focused on the details people may not know. When I asked the manger questions, I paid attention to the organization and management of galleries. When she told me what I did not know before or some shocked me, I asked her more details about theses information. I mixed the details I observed and information I got from interview together to make my essay more visible. Though I did not refer to the book I read in my essay, I putted what I learned in the book into the interview questions.

The Daily Grind: Lessons in the Hidden Curriculum

Orenstein used many actions, dialogues and details to describe vivid scenes in an eight-grade class. Amy who was a star actress “said hardly a word”; Allison tried to ask Mrs. Richter questions but got on respond, after struggled, she raised her hand again and got teacher’s respond; Some active boys raised their hand always to get chances to answer teacher’s questions. When I read this paragraphs, as if I saw the scenes in the class. Because I have similar experience and this essay reminds my memory.

I think my performance in middle school was like most girls’ performance in this essay. When I knew answers of some questions, I always thought again and again to make sure it was true and to avoid embarrassing. After I raised my hand and waited for teacher’s pick, two thoughts twined in my heart: be picked and not be picked. The reason I wanted to be picked is obvious—I hoped get praise from teacher when I answered correctly. While the reason I did not want to be picked was I felt embarrassed when I stood up. After I grew up, I think it does not matter. But, it was a big deal when I was in middle school. Boys’ behaviors in this essay also make me remember the boys in my class of middle school. Boys were always smart and brave enough so they liked answering difficult and challenging questions. Even though they answered incorrectly, they would not feel embarrassed but giggled after sat down.

Original tension and embarrassment in middle school have become a sweet memory now.