Julia Anna Moore

Hey. My name is Julia Anna Moore. Most people call me Jules. I am a first generation American. I am also a first generation college student. There’s a lot of pressure on me, and all of the other first generation Americans who stand beside me.   Our parents came here, suitcase in hand, most probably didn’t speak a lot of English. They all worked some shit, under-the-table, low wage jobs until they got to a better place. Some of them had a degree, but sometimes it wasn’t worth anything in the US. They all did the most they could, for the future of their children. We were all brought here at a young age, or were born here, to a family of hard working persons and high expectations. Some of us didn’t fulfill those expectations, some are still working at it, some have exceeded the expectations set by our parents. We’re all at different points on this path. I haven’t met most of the expectations set out for me. I was supposed to be a doctor, have my own practice and family be...

Preparing myself to go abroad included a lot of things. Something huge that my home university stressed about was the evolution of the honeymoon phase of being abroad to the culture shock phase. Of course, we all rolled our eyes at that, but it is a real thing. It was about week two when I had my mental breakdown, along with other friends who I met.  I am at the University of Lausanne, studying French. All of the courses I am taking are in French, so it can be mentally exhausting or positively challenging. Depending on how you look at it. I choose to see it as a positive challenge. I engage in class, I try to make myself talk, I listen intently, and try to translate quickly. Staying curious is my anchor. I have lived in Europe (Poland) before, so I knew my culture shock would not be as severe, but the fact is, I didn’t really have “culture” shock. I was quite used to how people live in Switzerland, because it is somewhat similar to how people live in Poland, along with the...