丁沛，西安科技大学电子商务专业学生，2005年8月20日赴美国北亚利桑那大学电子传媒专业学习，2007年12月14日回到中国。2009年6月23日在“《1+2+1中美人才培养计划》第六届学生毕业典礼”上获得中美大学学士学位。

Ding Pei was a student majored in Electronic Commerce from Xi’an University of Science and Technology. She went to Northern Arizona University for the study of electronic media specialty on August 20, 2005 and returned to China on December 14, 2007. She received dual bachelors’ degree from both Chinese and U.S. Universities on the Sixth Graduation Ceremony of “Sino-American 1+2+1 Dual-Degree Program” on June 23, 2009.

经历过后成长

听闻、经历、学习、成长，这些应该就是人生的基本步骤吧，而在美国生活，我觉得这些都有过了。

刚到美国第一个学期，我和部分同学在PIE（北亚的英语强化班）学习进行一个学期的英语强化训练，待到通过了托福考试才可以参加正式课的学习。虽然只是一个针对英语提高的课程，我却觉得很有意思，也是第一次让我体验到了美国轻松的授课方式。老师会让我们用学唱歌的来积累单词，写幼稚的周记提高写作，节日会有派对让我们学会跟人交流，参加志愿者来提高社交能力。我不得不说环境对于外语的学习真的是个不可缺少的条件，至少对我来说。一个学期的时间很快过去了，我们中间很多同学都如愿通过了托福考试进入了专业课的学习。那时候才了解到，什么叫困难，原本很高昂的斗志一下被打击到初始。原来托福根本就不算什么，原来我还是什么都不懂，可能因为在有限的课时，内容真的很多吧，我根本就无法跟上老师的讲课，才知道原来自己的差距还有这么大。美国学生的课堂时间比较少，所以我们都有大量的时间由自己支配，怎样能在学习之余还有时间去体验真正的美国生活才是首先我们应该要学会的。

美国的教学和学习方式和中国式的教育是很有区别的，团队精神的体现也尤为重要。在美国很多作业都是分组完成的，不需要每个人的能力都特别强，但是只要组内成员交流好了，齐心努力，都会有惊人之作，相反，你自己能力再强，团队一起工作时表现得太个性，不能和组员好好沟通，也会拉团队后腿。

初到美国，语言和生活的障碍不得不使很多原来不熟悉的中国人开始了相依为命的生活，可都不知我们依然生活在中国的实质，我们太远离我们所在的真正世界了。等到一年过后才发现我们原来还不会说话，还没有朋友，还没过真正的美国生活。于是，我慢慢的学着开始很快的完成每天的作业，总是腾出周末的时间去派对，经常去看看电影，我觉得这样的生活才很快乐，很轻松，然而也很充实。在和美国人的经常交流中我才了解到了美国人其实是很愿意广交朋友的，也很乐于帮助人的，无论是从生活还是到学习，他们都会毫不吝啬的伸出他们温暖的双手，给予他们的信任，他们很乐于带你进入他们真正的世界，让你真正的了解他们的生活。同时，他们也会很虚心的向你学习他们没有的文化，也会好奇对他们来说这个同样神奇的叫中国的世界。

很多同学都认为出国就是学习的，应该每天下课就泡在图书馆，或关在家里不被打扰，利用好每分每秒的时间，要不然对不起父母。其实，如果是这样，不用出国待在国内也可以，北美课堂网络上到处都有。所以这样的机会，除了要学好国外先进的文化知识，更重要的是要开阔眼界，亲身体会一下国外的风土人情。刚开始面对美国同学，我会很胆怯，害怕别人的话听不懂，自己的话不地道。后来我开始开阔心胸，不想太多，顾忌太多，不要周旋在只有几个中国人的社交圈，经常和美国同学聊天，参加各种party，放松了心情，更重要的是提高了自己的英语交流能力。

07年暑假，很有幸有个机会我去拉斯维加斯参加了一次国际小商品会展，协助一个国内公司圆满完成了这次会展，并当场谈下了几家代理商和大订单。从有几分害怕到会展结束时的成就感，我很庆幸自己抓住了这次机会，我学会了微笑面对困难，学会如何应付两难，学会自信，学会了勇敢，学会了坚强。

另外，生活中还会有点意想不到的小感动。记得有一次我去沃尔玛超市买一些生活用品，我拿起一面薄薄的长条形镜子，是很容易折断的那种。因为当时买的东西很多，我就把所有的东西都堆在那个购物车里面。突然不小心东西把那面镜子压坏了，我马上去找了一个工作人员去告诉他刚刚发生的事情，而且我已经表示我会赔偿那个的。可是那个工作人员把我弄坏的镜子拿回了仓库，然后换了一面崭新的给我，扔给了我一句“That’s fine!”当时我心里真的很感激，却没能太多的表达。

在这两年半的时间里，我了解到了什么才叫成人，什么才是独立。开始我会很诧异为什么同龄的美国人总会比我们看上去年长，确切的说，应该叫成熟，是因为磨练才让他们脱去了那份稚气，是因为经历才让他们有了思想。原本在父母的庇护之下成长了将近20年的我们怎么能深刻了解“长大”的真正含义。虽然，直到今天，我仍然不确定我是否长大，但至少我学习了，我经历过一点点磨练，至少我会为个舒适而经济的住所去走访，至少会为了填饱肚子拿起锅铲，至少学会为了全组人员拿到最高的分数承担我的那份责任，至少明白了一点点父母为撑起一个家所要受的劳累……

都说听来的还得自己经历，经历过还要从中吸取学习，之后才能真正成长，我说那就去国外留学吧！

Growing Comes after Going Through

Hearing, experiencing, learning and growing should be the basic steps of one’s life. However, all of these have been going through in the days when I was studying abroad in the United States.

Right after we arrived there, some students including me had to go to the PIE (Program of Intensive English) for intensive training of English until we passed the TOEFL test for regular major courses. Although it was only a response to improve the curriculum in English, but I found it very interesting, It was the first time I experienced the way the medium of instruction in the United States. We learn songs to build vocabulary, write journals to improve writing, go to parties to learn communicating, and do volunteer works to practice social skills. I have to say the environment is really indispensable for learning a foreign language, at least for me. After that semester, most of us got through the TOEFL test and started the study of major courses. I never thought it would be so difficult to understand professors’ lectures even I passed the language test, and soon, I had no more confidence at all. We had only a few classes everyday and we got plenty of time doing our own things. But what’s the most important is how to balance our study and entertainment time so we can live a real American life.

The education systems in the US and China are very different. Team spirit is the most important part of the college study. You don’t have to be super powerful of taking your part, but you do need to be responsible to help your team. If you didn’t feel free to communicate well with your team member, even you came up with a brilliant idea, it didn’t help anything.

At the begging of our arrival, we had to rely on every Chinese who we didn’t know because of the barriers of language and living, which actually was still in a Chinese way. We even didn’t know how to talk, no friends, no real American life, and we were still far to know this culture. Therefore, I learned to finish my homework sooner, find more time to party, watch movies and my life turned to be way different, happier, easier and richer. During the time hanging out with some local friends, I found that, actually, they are really happy to meet new people from other cultures, and they are curious with the country called China with so many miracles. No matter how busy they were, they would still love to give you their hands both on daily life and study and take you into their world to learn what a real America is.

Perhaps, many of you and your parents would think that your responsibility of going abroad is to study, to stay in library or to stay home without any interrupt. However, in this case, we could just stay in China joining some American lectures from internet without a cent. Since I got a chance being in US, why don’t I be open so I can learn more and do more. Of course I had this time when I was too shy to speak to people with too many worries. Later on, I was just tired of getting involved in this small Chinese sphere at NAU so I had to find local friends. Yes, my English got much better, dramatically.

2007 summer, I was honored to be invited as a translator of a product exhibition in Las Vegas for a company from China. The boss was very happy that I did help him a lot and even had a big order during the show. I was lucky to have that opportunity and it was my first time to know how to smile in the face of difficulty.

Besides, there were also some unexpected touching moments. For instance, there was one time I was at Wal-Mart shopping for a piece of mirror. As I broke a thin one by an accident, I called for an assistant to let him know about this. When I was about to paying for that broken mirror, he took that back and smiled, “it’s ok!” I responded, “Thank you!” No too many words but very much moving.

In these two and a half years, I got to know what an adult is and what independence is. I would be very surprised at the beginning, why Americans of the same age would always look older than we are, rather, it should be called mature. Because of training they take off that called childish and because they have experienced before they have their own minds. How could many of us under the shelter of our parents growing for nearly 20 years have a deep understanding the true meaning of the “grown”. Although, until today, I am still not sure whether I am grown up, but at least I learned, I experienced a little bit of temper, at least I would pay a visit for a comfortable and economical home, at least I would make my own for not hungry, and learn to take my own responsibility for the whole team to get as higher score as possible, and understand our parents’ hard lives…

I have heard that you have to go through some thing so you can approve what you’ve heard, then learn from your experience, and later on you could finally grow up. For all of these, I suggest, why don’t you go study abroad for a while?

August 2008

Ding Pei

Xi’an University of Science and Technology