My family came to America from Japan when I was seventeen years old. My dad is an engineer and works for Hewlett Packard. Three years ago, he transferred from HP in Japan to the division in US. Living in a foreign country has had a huge impact on me. In the past few years, I learned the language and American culture. Experiencing a new world allowed me to push past my limitations. I have changed greatly since I came to the US because I learn the language; I meet diverse people and saw their cultures, and I learn about American culture and society through my education.

I found that having been able to speak both Japanese and English is advantageous. I realized that you could enjoy your life twice as much by learning a new language. You can meet many people, talk to them, and make friends. I have made a lot of good friends since I came here. Having friends makes a huge difference. My life became much more fun after I got to know them; we can go shopping and go see movies. Most importantly, having someone whom I can talk to whenever I want to, give me great comfort. They assure me that l am not alone. Another example of the advantage of being able to speak different languages is that you can read twice as much and acquire twice as much of information. I can research both in English and in Japanese online; this is very useful. By learning a new language, it opened a door for tremendous numbers of opportunities for me.

The biggest surprise that I experienced in California was I was able to see diverse looking people. When I lived in Japan, all my classmates were Japanese, and I rarely saw people from abroad. This is because Japan is a homogeneous country. However, when I came to California, there were people from every country including Vietnam, Ethiopia, and Bosnia. There were diverse restaurants, boutiques, and music. I bought my prom dress, imported from France, at a small boutique. When I watch cable television, I can view broadcast from many nations. Since it was my first time seeing a heterogeneous population, it completely broadened my perspective exchanging ideas with many people from different nations.

Not only am I able to see diverse groups in America, I am able to earn an education in American schools, for which I feel very fortunate. I was a junior in high school when I came here, and going to an American high school was the most exciting thing for me. I was able to see American culture, acquire an education from an American point of view, see what American teenagers are like, and make friends. American teenagers tend to be more creative and full of energy compared to Japanese teenagers; American teenagers are always up to something such as sports, music, drama, etc. I also enjoyed classes, too. Because I attended both Japanese and American schools, I was able to see things from different points of view and to compare and contrast. Getting an education in American high school and college has definitely influenced my perception; it gave me opportunities to argue ideas from all possible sides.

Clearly, I have earned many advantages through living in the United States. All these experiences motivated me to become an open-minded person full of curiosity. I am excited to imagine what I will encounter in the future in America.