Tanned skin vs. pale skin, which do you prefer?

By Yi Wu


Housing:

The first day I arrived at Evanston, I was surprised by the presence of so many beautiful houses. They are really amazing! At that moment, I was wondering what life was going to be like in such a wonderful place. I had not anticipated the hard road ahead in finding the perfect roommate and a fine apartment.

After several days, I started thinking about roommates. Who shall I live with? Maybe someone warm-hearted and easy-going. However, that is not enough. She should be clean, not like spicy food, not own a pet, and better, have a car. Is that a perfect roommate? Not quite enough, she’d better also be a great cook (a chef is preferred), and share the same interests with me, like watching movies and working out at least twice a week, so that we can have fun together. Well, is there anyone who met all my criteria? By the way, do I myself set a perfect example? Not at all.

I feel a little frustrated that I can not be perfect. But back to the real world, I have met many nice people and living with any of them would be a pleasant experience. Why not be less critical and find the merits in everyone? You can have smooth conversations with a person, and feel the kindness of another person. You can enjoy a good meal if you do not mind a little disorder in the kitchen. You can have fun with whomever you live with!

Finding a nice apartment is an exhausting and tedious task. The sparkle gradually died out and chores came up. So many things to be considered at a time in looking for a cozy house. Is the room large enough? Does the owner have a special deal? Are all utilities included in the rent? Does the apartment have a laundry room? How about the distance to my laboratory? At first, I even dare not call to the landlord. However, ISI helped me a lot. Many thanks to my teachers and fella students, sincerely.

I do hate making decision, like choosing the house and roommate, for it means eradication of other possibilities. But be brave. Making one's own decision is a big step towards independence.

Water:

When I arrived at Engelhart, I asked the lady at the front desk: “Where can I get some drinking water?” She said: “Oh, just have it from the tap.” I thought she was kidding me, because in China, it is unsafe to drink water without boiling. But later I found people here just used a filter to eliminate the contaminants roughly (from a biologist’s perspective it is not quite safe), then drink water directly. I like this way but I dare not to tell my mother about that:-)

Beautiful Skin:

This is my favorite part:-) I have done some research on how people define healthy and beautiful skin. In China, pale skin is preferred. For example, if I took a sun shower, my mother would frown and say, “What happened? Look at your face. What a weird color it is!” But in western countries, people like tanned skins more than pale ones. When foreigners visit China, they will find many women wearing hats or holding umbrellas when walking in the sun. Most time it is not because the sunshine is too strong, but because women tend to protect their pale skin color. For traditional Chinese, it is kind of weird that western people like to look tanned. We Chinese use all kinds of cosmetics to make it lighter instead!

There are so many interesting things I have found out about America. As different peoples have different skin colors, different cultures have different perspectives on how things should be. Please share your ideas and opinions with us on our blog:-)