Photo by Jenna Ellis

    Hello everyone, my name is Ziyin Liang, but I prefer people to call me Sunny.  I am an international student from China. I have been studying in the United States for 4 years. In the beginning, I studied language skills at Whatcom Community College for a while, then graduated and transferred to Western Washington University (WWU) to study communication, and I am preparing to graduate in autumn 2020. Therefore, I would like to share my experience of studying abroad for international students who want to study at Western Washington University in the future. 

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    It has been a year since I came to Western Washington University, and I still remember that when I first applied to this university, my mood was still very sad because it was not easy to start my studies in a new environment, but Bellingham gives me a sense of security because the environment is safe and quiet, and people are very friendly. Similarly, this is the first time in my life that I stepped into American territory and came to a strange city. This is also the place where I have lived for 4 years. 

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    Most importantly, I think Western Washington University  is a good university. It is very big, there is a very large gymnasium, and all kinds of facilities and equipment. And every semester there are many international students, exchange students, and local students that come to school. In addition, each specialty has its own building, which is the coolest part. The disadvantage for me is that there are too many offices. When I need help, it is difficult to figure out which office I should go to.

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    I still remember that when I was in my first class at Western Washington University, I was very nervous because in the entire classroom I was the only Asian student there, and then the content of the teacher ’s lectures were very fast, and it was difficult for me to keep up with the teacher's rhythm. Because of this, it brought a lot of pressure to me at the beginning.

 

    Later, I tried to communicate with the teachers. They all understood my difficulties, so they often helped me a lot after class. Although my English level is not very good, I found that as long as I bravely talked to the teachers and classmates or asked questions, they were willing to help me to solve all my problems. 

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    Throughout the process, I think that as long as you ask and talk bravely, everything will get easier. The students and teachers at Western Washington University are very friendly. I gradually got used to the teacher's teaching methods, and I gradually caught up with the rhythm, and I looked forward to each class and the exchanges with classmates.

 

    Finally, I would like to say that as an international student studying at WWU, I do not regret my choice, because I have done things and met people I had not before. I know that everyone has their own right to choose and maybe Western Washington University is not the choice in your mind at first, but if you have the opportunity, studying here is, in my opinion, a great choice.