Moving to a new environment can bring many challenges for people, especially when they are separated from their native culture and placed into an entirely new culture. Since I have moved to Albany in 2017, I have been facing and coping with the challenge of cultural displacement.

The primary challenge for me was about making meaningful social connections. When I first moved to Albany in summer 2017, my English was not very good. As a result, I could not communicate effectively with people around me and make new friends quickly.

This made me frustrated and I became a bit self-conscious in expressing myself. For example, when I wanted to join the conversations of my new neighbors at the apartment, I was too shy to do so because I felt that they were speaking too fast and I couldn’t follow them. It took me a long time to change this mindset and stop feeling so lonely all the time.

Another challenged brought by the moving was that I needed to depend myself on almost everything in life. Before that summer, I was well taken care of by my parents. After moving into the apartment in Albany, I had to carry all the furniture and appliances by myself. To get internet connection and electricity, I also signed deals independently.

All of these challenges were new to me, and I suddenly realized the hardships of living alone without the care of my parents. However, these challenges have also made me a stronger and more independent person.

In conclusion, the major challenges for me after moving to Albany are communication issues and challenges life skills. Moving to an unfamiliar place has not only challenged my survival skills, but also changed my perception about life. Through these challenges, the most important lesson I learned is that I should never be afraid of stepping out of my comfort zone.