As an international student stepping on the Aggieland for the first time, I was full of curiosity and expectation when I had the initial glace of the campus. Like most of the international students, I cannot stop to imagine the exciting life in Texas A&M from the description posted on the official website and communication with former students. However, one thing I didn’t foresee was that I would have to fight back the hot wave in August. Air conditional system in school only made things worse. After several times of walking in and out of buildings to get rid of my holds, I got a headache because of the extreme temperature difference indoor and outdoor. At night, I still suffered from sleeplessness caused by the time gap, and the noise made by automobiles flushing on the highway near my apartment.

To be honest, I did notice the white slow-moving clouds and unfamiliar plants here, but everything seems less attractive under the burning and blazing sunshine. At that time, nothing but strong regret filled my heart. Why I didn’t apply a university located in the north, where the climate is much closer to my hometown, where has four seasons, and, most important, snow in winter? Why did I choose here to suffer from sunburn and mosquito bites? I started to miss my home, where the temperature started to cool down and delicious seafood started to be sold, on the first day of arriving. Though my homesickness was more and more serious, I managed to hold tears back in video talk with my family. I was really depressed at that time.

After several days of hiding in my apartment, I had to face my unfinished immunization plan, which is the last item on my hold list. After four times of stepped from summer to winter, I finally made the way to Student Health Service Center, dying. When the lady who had naughty eyes asked me many general questions before injunction, I answered my height with” kilometers”! Awkward flushing me at that moment. Where did my calmness go? But the lady’s reply surprised me. She said:” While then you must be extremely long!” Silence, then laughing. In a few seconds, I made another mistake by answering my arrival date as October. But that time, not shame but humor filled my heart. I already know I will not be laughed at. What a kind and cute person she is! Is she infected by this land and the sunshine? Days of shade inside me were swapped away for such a simple joke. I cannot believe that. But the miracle happened. Amazing! I started to change my mind about College Station.

Then, after days of storming and raining, most of my classmates share photos with rainbows on social media. But I didn’t see one real rainbow by myself. It was so regretful! Every time I click the “like” icon for them, I really envied them.

On the game day, when I took a walk near the apartment, watching the long queue on the highway, I saw the most gorgeous scenery in my life. A cloud with rainbow’s color under the irradiation of sunset. I stood on the walking lane near the highway, until the vivid color faded. That color was stocked in my mind forever, that’s the color of College Station. I fell in love with this place at that glace.

---Xueqing Wang
Xueqing Wang is a Masters student in the Department of Liberal Arts