I like english
...n so popular among American people. As a layman to medical, psychological and pharmacological sciences, I am not in a position to argue whether the young gentleman mentioned above made such a choice due to a deadly disease (according to Eli Lilly, it is estimated that 15% of people with chronic depression commit suicide.) or due to certain personality weaknesses. However, in either case, it might be more appropriate for us to sympathize with him as the victim of a tragic incident than to condemn him as a weak mind who did not have the gut and/or wisdom to face the unbearable lightness or heaviness of the being -- after all, it usually does involve a lot of thinking and guts for a person to commit suicide. When I was at the States, the two most frequently used phrases among us international students (not only Chinese, but also students of other nationalities) were "C'est la vie" (this is the life) and "Que sera, sera" (what will be, will be). Sounds pathetic, eh? Now visualize what we may have to struggle against when we are studying and living in a foreign country. Nostalgia, solitude, insomnia, inadaptability, uncertainties about what lies ahead, endless course work, just to name a few. Many times we asked ourselves "Why the heck am I in this damned place?!" and those who failed to figure out a right answer -- actually just any answer -- would start suffering from depression and eventually end up with severely impaired mental health, even suicide in extreme cases. On a second thought, however, one doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to find out the right way out of the abovementioned awkward situation that haunted, is haunting and will haunt many international students (actually not only international students but expatriates as whole). First of all, to always maintain a strong sense of purpose and motivation is the key. We have to know exactly and clearly what we want and what we want to achieve by studying abroad and holding onto them. With this kind of strong will, we will find that the unendurable can actually be endured and will help further refine our characters. Secondly, we need to learn how to entertain ourselves. Yes, after trying so hard I am still not a straight A student as I used to be back in China. So what? It's weekend! Let's go playing soccer! Let's go to the pub! Let's go hiking! Let's go to the movies! Let's make as many new friends as possible! To study abroad surely brings a lot of challenges to us but it also offers a lot...