Deng 1

Denis Deng

Professor Patterson

Writing 2

13 August, 2019

A Trip: From Zero to Many

-My high school

“Teenagers. Everything is so apocalyptic.”

Kami Garcia

Life is a process of experiencing, and growing up is about the accumulation of those

experiences. Mature does not refer to the age of a person but is more associated with that

person’s ability and attitude when facing problems in life; the development of those qualities is

similar to constructing a building, the more tough the foundation is, the more stable and the

higher the building can be. I used to be a shy boy who liked to hide behind parents’ backs,

enjoying the safety provided and limiting myself in their shadows; because I thought the sun

would burn if I reached the unsheltered areas and exposed myself in the light. However, I now

am more used to stand in the light and sense the bright world independently. To me, my journey
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of growing up is like a trip from zero to many, and it began when I moved out of my comfort

zone by studying abroad.

“I want to send you abroad to receive western education, so your vision will be wide and

see the world from different perspectives.” My father frequently mentioned his idea of sending

me overseas, and this idea was more confirmed when I was in middle school, where my

headteacher repeatedly required students to dedicate all the time to study for exams, but my

father held a contradictory opinion. In his mind, Chinese educational ideology of only caring

about grades was a mistake because a teenager had to go through various experiences and

develop comprehensiveness to grow up and become a mature adult. I did not hold a lot of

objections to his proposal because, for those years I had known him, he was a decisive person

that hardly ever put effort into considering my opinions because I was a childish kid who rarely

saw the world in his eyes. Besides, my parents had already arranged everything for me including

signing me up in a English training course and hiring an agent for school applications. I enjoyed

being the last person to know the plan and taking the lightest work by following the order,

despite the fact that I was supposed to be the major role whose opinions mattered.

My father always said he could see potentials and ambitions through my eyes. Although I

was used to live a life with parents providing many conveniences, I sometimes found those

convenience annoying because they made feel like I was a passenger on the boat of my life

instead of the one who handled the rudder. Hence, regarding study abroad, I had excitement and

great longings deep in the heart under the surface of the indifference that I expressed. As a 16

years old teenager, I wished to grow up and be independent, although this sort of wish would

usually be swept away and replaced by my dependence on parents soon.

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“The reality will eventually make you a mature adult, and all you need to do is to face the

reality courageously”. My father always said this to me, but I did not understand the meaning of

it until later after the first trip that I took to the United States in 2015.

The 9 am morning of Philadelphia in September was cold. After near 18-hour flights

without proper rest, I felt indescribably exhausted. My eyes were dry and red, my stomach

ached, and my every piece of muscle was too sore to produce power to support any big or fast

movement. Being out of energy, I felt my two big pieces of luggage were as heavy as rocks. I

couldn't carry that heavy luggage for an extended time. “If I was in China, I would not have to

suffer these”. This idea was repeating in my head like a rapper revelled in the beat and gabled

without an end. However, I was relieved soon because my agent had arranged a person called

Mr.S to send me to school, so all I needed to do was to meet him at the airport.

At the arrival room, I prepared myself with smiles and a positive attitude, and I kept

telling myself that a good first impression was important and I needed to be talkative because no

person liked people who only stayed silent. However, forty minutes had passed, and Mr.S had

not showed up yet. I was squatting and circling on the floor with my finger, and all my smile and

positive attitude were replaced by helplessness and impatience. With a bit of anger, I decided to

abandon my hesitation for my bad English and call this Mr. S; however, there was no one

answering no matter how many times I tried. That was the first moment I felt despaired; being in

a foreign country with an unfamiliar language and having no known people, I did not know what

to do but call my parents in China.

“Dad, there was no one picking me up in the airport”. As soon as the call connected, I

almost cried out to my father, “I have called the Mr.S so many times but he does not answer”.
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“Calm down first. Your mother and I will contact the agent immediately”. After a few

brief consolations, my father hung up the phone. Although I expected more words from him, I

realized it was better that he stopped talking and started to solve the problem for me.

A half-hour later, my father called back; but the answer was not what my unindependent

mind looked for.

“Your agent is trying to contact school, but she does not guarantee the time it takes.

Therefore, I recommend you to go to a police station and tell your problems to officers,” My

father said with his deep voice, “in such a distant country, we cannot help you solve every

problem no matter how much we love you. I think you are capable of solving this problem on

your own, because I always believe in you”.

I was shocked and felt nothing but blank in mind. Was he making some kinds of jokes? I

never talked to any policies in China and how did he come up with the idea to ask me to talk to

police in America? Strangely, those complains did not stay long in my head. Although memory

blurred, I can confirm that it did not take long for me to calm down from the edge of hysteria. As

I always longed to prove myself and step out from my parents’ shadow, I was waiting for an

opportunity that I could handle the problems without the aid from parents. This was the chance

for me to be the one who handled the rudder on the boat of life.

“I can do this. Growing up is an inevitable process, and if I want to become an

independent and reliable man, I must try to overcome difficulties by myself”. There was a voice

in the head, and I was finally convinced by it. Then I told my father not to worry anymore and

then hang up the phone.

I could not remember the details in the police station for my body was close to collapse

because of the tiredness; but I still remember I was so calm and communicating in English
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explicitly with all worries replaced by confidence that resulted from the self-belief. The process

was not troublesome, and I did not wait long till Mr. S showed up in the police station and

apologized for mistaking 9 am to 9 pm.

I cannot remember what happened next because I fell asleep as soon as soon as I got on

Mr. S’s van. All I could recall was the pleasure in my heart for solving obstacles independently

for the first time. Like a newborn chicken breaking a tiny hole in the egg and welcoming the

fantastic future for being alive, I, the little boy hiding in parents backs, touched the edge between

the shadow and the light and felt the warmth under the sun, followed with delight for living with

independence and freedom.

My first trip to the United States was dramatic, but this experience sparked the potential

and ambition which my father always mentioned and actually lied inside my heart. In those four

years that I have spent in the United States as an international student, I encountered a lot of

problems while I was not afraid of them anymore. Mandela said, “It always seems impossible

until it’s done”, and I agree with him. To me, growing up is a process of accumulating

experiences like constructing a building, and I sincerely welcome those obstacles that can refine

me into a stronger man.

Work Cited

Deng, Jason. “An Interview with Jason Deng.” Interview conducted by Denis Deng. August,

2019
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Garcia, Kami. “Beautiful Creatures.” August, 2019

Romm, Joe. “Nelson Mandela’s Legacy for Climate Hawks: ‘ It Always Seems Impossible Unitl

It’s Done’”. THINKPROGRESS. December, 2013. Accessed August, 2019.

Serbin, Brian. “An Interview with Brian Serbin.” Interview conducted by Denis Deng. August

2019