Jack (戴云起) Once again, I set foot on American soil. But this time it is for college, not high school. It has been two weeks, and I have already learnt that college is a very different place, and I like it. A proud gay man “I am standing in front of everyone, declaring that I am a proud gay man!” This is the lecture a student gave in the freshman orientation trip, which is called CI, meaning Colonial Inauguration here in George Washington University. In fact, he is not the only one to have made this declaration. Hearing this sentence shocked me deeply. I am shocked not because three of the five men to take the stage were gay. I am surprised by their courage. They are risking society’s ridicule to declare who they really are. At my high school graduation ceremony, I experienced the feeling of standing in front of a crowd and trying to speak the truth about myself. Now, these three men are doing something harder. They have every reason to be proud. I am pleasantly surprised by how tolerant this society is. I think I have found the place where a talented young person can spread their wings. Roommate issues There is a collectivism to college life. All students, except for the very privileged ones, must share a room with at least one other student. As a result, how you deal with your roommate can make or break your college life. I have a friend who lives in Thurston Residence Hall, which is notorious for its wild parties. He tells me he can never get to sleep before 2 a.m. due to the loud music from other rooms and his two roommates shouting while they play video games. Although I live in the quieter Crawford Residence Hall, my situation is no better. My roommate is a party animal who has already gained notoriety at the dorm. He never comes back before 3 a.m., and every time he comes back, he falls down drunk. He wakes me up every night. A few days ago, when I came back from playing basketball and needed a shower, my roommate came in and asked me a favor. His eyes were red and his breath stunk of beer. There was a girl leaning on him. He asked me if I would kindly leave them alone for a few hours. Reluctantly, I left the room and wondered around campus for three hours dripping with sweat. When you have to live with people who make very different lifestyle choices from yourself, you have to be mature. There is no point complaining about my drunken playboy roommate. In fact, he is always polite and apologetic the morning after he has done something to inconvenience me. We made an agreement that we would inform each other in advance if there was an overnight guest. In George Washington University, probably in most colleges as well, you will find many different kinds of people. Be open-minded and respectful. I am glad that George Washington is an open and respectful community. | 