My Fall Semester

As of December 15, my year of studying English will come to an end. I have experienced a lot of useful things through my classes here as an international student. The feelings of shyness or nervousness that I felt when I first came to St. Norbert College gradually gave away to confidence and happiness. I realized that St. Norbert College is an ideal academic environment for students, especially for me. Specifically, this fall semester is my best memory because it is marked with good friendships, experiences of being a college student and respect for all my teachers.

First of all, friendship has been a precious gift given to me during this semester. I can negate the fact that I felt awkward when I first met other students who came from different backgrounds, race, religions and languages. Over time, I learned how to relate with them in the class room and eventually they became my friends. My friends are friendly and each of them have special characteristics. During our time in class, my friends and I enjoyed pleasant time together. In addition, we shared our culture, feelings and personal knowledge that helped us to understand each other. As a result, my mind was opened to a lot of useful knowledge and understanding about customs and traditions of some countries all over the world. Moreover, one important thing that I can learn from my friends is to know how to be in harmony with others. By being honest and eliminating jealousy, we can build a strong connection and maintain good friendships. In fact, I have been lucky to meet and know these students who have become my friends.

The other thing that I really enjoyed this semester is the experience of being a college student. I was very surprised when I had an opportunity to attend three college classes because I was just an ESL student. Therefore, there were a lot of new things that I can learn from these classes. At first, it was difficult for me to understand what my teacher was teaching in class. The lessons were on a high academic level that was beyond my ability, therefore, I had to spend much more time studying and trying to get an understanding of what the teacher taught. Over the next few weeks, I felt better and more excited in being in these classes. My teacher gave me many necessary tools that helped me to become successful as a college student in writing, reading and survival academic skills. These college classes will help me to be more confident and to perform better when I officially enter college in near the future.

 Finally, my best memory during my time studying English at St. Norbert College will be my teachers.  I am deeply impressed by their kindness. My teachers always treated me in a friendly way. They have always been open – minded and patient, even though I made some mistakes. Especially, my teachers’ kindnesses created a wonderful classroom atmosphere in which all of us really felt comfortable and were so excited whenever we came to class. The relationship between teachers and students were close and lovely. Therefore, I could meet and talk with them easily inside or outside the classroom. At the same time, my teachers were always willing to listen and help me whenever I needed it. It goes without saying that my teachers inspired me and placed inside me an image of what it is to be a teacher.

In conclusion, this semester benefited me not only with a great deal of knowledge, but also with gifts that were given to me through my friends and teachers. Willa Cather says that, “There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.” For me, I attained a great deal of knowledge in calm because I was supported by my teachers’ encouragement and the help of my friends. But I also learned a lot in storm because of the difficult times I sometimes had in accomplishing my assignments. All in all, I truly believe that this semester has been a wonderful learning opportunity in my first year in the USA.