Personal Narrative: Cristopher Columbus

As I am rushing to follow the airport worker, the bright orange “unaccompanied minor” tag is swinging on my neck. Pretending to be Cristopher Columbus, I step on the American land for the first time in my life at the age of 11. Since that moment, I have discovered the United States through hearing the loud bursts of the Independence Day fireworks, through making campfire s’mores, through looking over the magnificent buildings of NYC from the top of the Empire State Building and through tasting a juicy home-cooked hamburger. The aforementioned experiences allowed me to meet new people of diverse backgrounds and to build meaningful relationships that will last a lifetime. However, out of all the interesting stories I could tell, I want to focus
On September 10th, 2015 I entered my new dorm room, exhausted after 2 days of traveling from Russia to the United States. Suddenly, I felt rejuvenated, when a girl with a shining smile on her face held the door and asked, “Do you want help?” As we were bringing my bags into the room, Renying told me she was from China. I did not hesitate to ask her to teach me how to count to 10 in Chinese. The next day I was already wishing my new roommate “good morning” in Chinese. Not only I aspired to learn everything about Renying’s background and language, but she also wanted to know the basic phrases in Russian and the traditions in my home. I felt proud when I showed my roommate where my hometown, Kursk, was located on the map, and when I taught her the Russian way of greeting, “Privet!”. The daily conversations about each other’s culture made me aware of the importance of appreciating the diversity of this world. I realized that the underestimation of someone’s patriotism may be hurtful and
The borders between countries are now more seamless than ever before. I believe, this globalization requires people of all nations to be more considerate and loving towards each other in order to prevent war and conflicts. Progress of humanity is impossible without mutual respect. I want to be a part of the modern advancement; thus, I will continue to develop as a global citizen by learning languages, traveling to other countries and building strong intercultural