Samanda Lam
Professor Francev
English 1C
22nd February 2016
It is a huge, dynamic city, and it has a lot of palm trees. This was my first impression of
Los Angeles when I stepped off the plane boarded from my hometown Hong Kong. I left
all the things I knew behind, flew across the world to go to college, and start a new page of
my life. I was excited just imagining how spontaneous I was going to be, exploring all the
new opportunities and meeting all the new faces. Little did I know what was waiting ahead
of me in my journey in this foreign land.
The first year went by smoothly. I made friends from different walks of life, learned about
their story, and I even picked up some slangs. Exploring the city was my favorite part, that
one rendezvous at night; that food truck with the most drool-inducing tacos; the great
nature in the national parks; the beautiful beaches with a coastline that seems endless. The
classes was easy in my first year in community college, so study was not a stressful for me
at the time. Everything was going so well in my life, until one morning when my mother
called and told me about my father company.
My family is still doing fine, but it would be a bit difficult for them to afford my spending
here in America. It would have been easier for me if I just pack my stuff and go back, but I
