lost kingdom

Lost kingdom 

In everyone’s mind, they are the king of their own kingdom. So am I. The little town where I was born is my little kingdom. I lived there for sixteen years, and I was familiar with everything, just like a king knows everything of his kingdom. Despite the familiarity feelings, I also got a lot of love from my friends, my boyfriends and my family. However, now, I lost them. Even though they still love me, I can’t feel as strong as before because of the distance. Since moving to the US. I haven’t found the same feeling of natural affection, friendship and love. 

One of the reasons why I can’t have the same feeling of friendship is the nightlife that is different from China. When I was home, I like hanging out with my friends at night and I never went to sleep early on weekends! Staying up late may be the universal habits of teenagers, but I think the nightlife in China is busier than the US. Since I came to Chicago, I have lived with my sister far from downtown. At night, I can’t go out and have nowhere to go. Last time I went out with my sister at night, I found that most shopping malls close at 9 pm, and there were only a few people walking on the street. It was cold and scary. On the contrary, it is much busier in China, and people are everywhere. People are not allowed to have guns, due to this, I think is safer than the US. In my generation, teenagers like to chat in milk tea shops at night. However, it is difficult to find a milk tea shop in Chicago, especially open at night! Most important of all, I can’t find any snack stalls in Chicago! As a food lover, that drives me crazy. In China, I only needed to go downstairs, then there would be a lot of snacks along the street, BBQ, dumplings, takoyaki and many other delicious snacks. Therefore, I can only spend the whole night at home. 

Beside the joy of nightlife, travel is also another aspect that I miss. I used to travel with my boyfriend, and unlike the US, travel is easier for teenagers in China because we have high-speed railway. We only need to buy tickets the day before we want to leave. It is good for me because I often change my plan. In addition, it is inconvenient for me to travel without a driver’s license in America. However, in China, there are many other means of transportations besides cars. In the other hand, China is a multinational country, we have sixty-five nationality in China. Therefore, different places have different ethnic groups, which means different customs and gives us different experience. Every time I travel to a place, I am interested in people there instead of the view. Because I think we don’t really know a place. Until we know the people there. For example, the Mongolians are generous and energetic and the Miao nationality are gentle. I enjoy feeling different nationalities and their customs. 

Perhaps the thing that I lost, which is also the most unforgettable part, is my family.  In China, the biggest event to spend with family is the spring festival. Parents usually give their children lucky money, people would visit relatives, do spring festival shopping and prepare the big dinner. The New Year’s Eve dinner custom from south is different from north. My mother is from the northern China, so we would make dumplings and baozi. My father is from the southern China, so we would have some dishes that mean good luck which are depend on their pronunciation. Such as fish and pig’s feet, which means rich and health. The spring festival is just like Christmas in the US. It is not only a festival, but also is a chance to get everybody together and welcome the new year. Everyone is immersed in the atmosphere of joy and love. Last spring festival was the first time I spent without my parents, I didn’t have a big meal, I didn’t watch the special program on TV, and I just slept. Because only sleep can make me forget the lost of this festival. 

As an old saying goes, east or west, home is best. Now, I left my kingdom and I am not the king anymore. I am afraid to hang out at night, I can’t have a travel whenever I want and most importantly, I won’t be able to celebrate the spring festival with my family anymore no one would treat me like a princess. I feel lost not only because of the new environment, but also the people, who gave me a lot of love and support. However, just like the fairy tale, The Little Mermaid, Ariel left her kingdom to find her true love. Now, it is my time to be independent and chase my dream. We need to leave their kingdom, because it’s a part of growing up. Even though we would feel lost at this time, it won’t last long, try to be brave and face the life we live in, let’s chase our dreams and build another kingdom!