Weekly Response #11

Yu-Jen(Chris),Tsai

ADP3

Discussion 005

I spent most time of my life in Taiwan and didn’t really have that much too worry about until I reach high school and the years after I came studied abroad. First time ever I leave my high school in Taiwan, my friends in Taiwan, my family, my home and all the people I had known or met for the past sixteen years. Although it had always been my wish to go abroad ever since junior high school, to actually put it into practice is a completely different issue than just talking about it. I remember my dad came to the states with me a week earlier and stayed at the Inn near the high school until the orientation started and also getting some commodities for the winter weather. I remember clearly, as the date got closer to the orientation date, I gradually began having second thoughts about my decision every time I though of how far it was going to be from home, how I was supposed to keep my grades well enough and getting all the college applications, which I had no clue how it was done, done during the first year since I started as a Junior, and many other worries that fretted me then. I remember could not fell asleep the night before the move-in day; I think my father noticed there was something on my mind and so for the first time my dad talked about how is it going to be on your own and also kept telling that it is not a coward move to come back home if I were not able to get used to the new lifestyle in the United States; instead, it is a wise decision to make.

The move-in date finally came and so my dad drove me to the dormitory, my bad mood hit me again and so I complained about the condition of my dorm room. My dad suddenly got mad at me telling me that I came to the States to study, not for a vacation; I hold in all my emotions instantly and began unpacking my stuff. When it was my dad to leave and catch the flight to the other side of the planet, my dad didn’t say anything, he just hugged me real tight and got on the car. I got back to my room and while arranging my books and folders, there was a letter my father left me in the academic folder; I had no idea when I slide it in without me noticing. On the note, he wrote down pretty much everything he had spoken to me about the night before. As I finished reading it, I felt my eyes filled with tears at the same time I felt like I had to try my best to get used to everything that would be coming to me in the future. And so here I am. I graduated from a high school that I was totally unfamiliar with and got into college. I’d say that’s one tough decision for a person to make.

The Montanan collapse example that Diamond brought up resulted from a series of reasons that are brought up in his book. Diamond stated that Montana use to be a pristine location in the United States; however, due to many common reasons that bring a society to collapse, right now, the place has lost billions of dollars. First of all, the human impact on the environment is no doubt the main cause of all pollutions and climate changes in the area. Take climate change for instance, the agriculture in Montana relies mainly on the water from the melting snow after winter season; and so the land becoming dry is bad news for the residents for the area. Then it leads to a broader problem, which is the forest management in that particular location. To resolve all those issues, first the town’s people need to get rid of the main pollution that is the mine waste. By practicing the basics steps, gradually the situation would turn itself around ultimately.