A couple of days ago I was talking with my groupmates about the future. We are supposed to graduate this May and we were discussing our plans. One girl said that she declined a job opportunity from a company in San Diego in order to return to the Bay Area to live closer to her family. She said that she wants family support; she loves adventures and traveling, but she prefers to be more of a homebody.
I was surprised by it, because in our field it is hard to find a good full-time job. However, on the other hand it is understandable. Finding your comfort zone is very important to succeed in life — especially when your relatives support you.
However, I’ve always thought that challenging yourself is the main point to be successful in this life. As a Russian international student, I live thousands of miles from my family, my best friends, my lovely room and my comfy bed. And I do not regret it. I got so much experience and new skills in every aspect of life, that I would not change even a bit of my current life.
“From first sight, this city — and SDSU’s campus — became a place I wanted to stay.”
Though I love my home country, my family, my friends, I just realize that I simply do not want to leave this city. It is not about the current political situation between Russia and the United States, it is about people I know here, about the weather, about the whole atmosphere. I was able to make this place my comfort zone.
Another reason I do not want to go back to Russia is because, for me, it would mean that I was defeated. If I return straight after graduation, after spending so much time in another country, it would mean that I did not achieve anything in this life. While I’ve received a lot of knowledge and experience, I want affirmation from professional society that I am worth it.
Yes, it’s true that I need much more effort to stay in the U.S. after I am no longer a student. If I do not find a job within three months after graduation, I will have to leave the country. But I am trying. I am trying to do my best to put myself in the best position.
In my language we have a phrase: “Everything that has not happened is for the best.”
I want to find my place in life in this city.
Even though, I am considering different cities in California, I still expect to come back to San Diego. From first sight, this city — and SDSU’s campus — become a place I want to stay. This area is still hiding some great places that I have not had the chance to discover in these three years. But I have been able to find my new friends, my new family, love of my life and my new home.
With love,
Lilu
Anastasia Mysina is an international student from Russia. She is a city planning graduate student at SDSU.
The global experience, as told by SDSU students 
Comment on this post