A Single Tree

A Single Tree

A famous Chinese proverb says that a single tree makes no forest, and one string makes no music. Can I live alone forever? My answer is no. Social life has always been a very important part in my life, including my parents, my relatives, and my friends. In my hometown Jiangmen, a city in Southern China, I usually ate lunch or dinner with my family, walked outside with friends, and celebrated Chinese traditional festivals with friends and family. However, since I moved to Chicago, a new and strange city for me, I have become a single tree.

When I was living in Jiangmen, I always ate lunch with my family on both school days and holidays, but now I can no longer do that. Most of my relatives, such as my aunt and my cousins, are not willing to gather too often. They prefer having a good rest to visiting relatives on weekends, and they are more willing to do something to relax themselves instead of having family parties. Each of them has their own lives and own schedules, so it’s usually hard to gather at the same time. Moreover, family is also important for them, but they usually have many other things to do, such as handling their jobs, taking care of their children, and dealing with other urgent matters. This has meant I usually spend most of a day by myself in Chicago, which makes me feel lonely.

Moreover, the new environment in Chicago has boxed me into a boring house. I liked walking outside with friends in the afternoon or after dinner in my hometown. Shopping at malls, chatting together, or just walking around the city is what I used to do in the past, but not anymore. In Chicago, I may not see anybody when I walk outside because people usually exercise in a gym and don’t like going for walks. Moreover, it’s a little dangerous to walk in some neighborhood streets at night. In addition, it’s inconvenient to go some places on foot in Chicago. I usually need to take a train or bus which could take a long time or to drive a car if I want to go somewhere in Chicago, yet the place I want to go is often far away from my home. For these reasons, I often stay at home if I don’t need to go to school.

I have no mood to celebrate Chinese traditional festivals in Chicago as well. The Chinese traditional festivals are very important for all Chinese people, so I was earnestly looking forward to the traditional festivals in the past. However, this situation has changed in Chicago. I don’t have time to celebrate Chinese traditional festivals because I usually need to work or have class in Chinese festivals. Moreover, the atmosphere is different in Chicago. Sometimes, I luckily have a day off on Chinese festivals. However, most Americans don’t understand those Chinese festivals, so I just can enjoy the festival atmosphere in Chinatown even though the atmosphere in here is not very rich too.

In a word, I often have felt lonely since I moved to Chicago. I spend a lot of time with myself, and I don’t usually go for walks with friends. I am not eagerly looking forward to Chinese festivals. I felt lonely and a little inadaptable when I started living in Chicago because of those changes. However, I am trying to meet more new friends, and to find the beautiful places of Chicago. I believe I will adapt soon, find more new fun and not be a single tree anymore in the future.