Bless You

 Lei Huang

ESLINTG 100

September 16, 2026

In-class Essay 1

Bless You

Every time I sneeze, people around me always say “Bless you!” I feel strange about this situation because in China, my culture, people usually do not say anything when someone sneezes. As a result, this situation makes me think a lot about God. Many Americans say “Bless you,” but many people in China do not. Does it mean that many Americans believe in God and many people in China do not believe in God? This small difference made me think about that people from different countries have their own ways of asking deities for blessings. This little thing taught me that small actions can show the differences between cultures.

It was winter in 2025, and it was the first time I took class in Chicago. In addition, it was the first time I saw snow, so I felt very excited. I walked on the road, felt the snow fall on my nose, and looked around. I wanted to find some mystery in this white world. I was on my way to school. The snow made my nose itchy, and I sneezed. At that time, I heard somebody say “Bless you,” but I thought he was talking to somebody else, so I did not pay attention to him. After I arrived at school, I began my class. Maybe because I was walking outside, I had an itch on my nose again, and then I sneezed loudly. At that moment, everyone in the class, including the professor, said “Bless you” to me. How ashamed and embarrassed I felt at that moment! In my experience in China, people usually do not say anything when somebody sneezes because it can be considered impolite. That is why I felt ashamed. After living in Chicago for a few months, I was used to saying “Bless you” because it is a part of American culture.

However, this embarrassing experience made me think more deeply about culture. Some Americans say “Bless you” because they believe in God, and they are used to saying that. People in China do not say “Bless you.” Does that means people in China do not salute God? The answer is not really. Buddhist culture is an important part of Chinese culture. Some Chinese festivals are related to religious or traditional stories, and we celebrate these festivals with some special activities, such as dragon dance and other traditional activities. In my opinion, culture around the world express their religious beliefs in many ways. Many Chinese people sometimes burn some fake paper money, which means giving money to God. Some people believe that if they do so, God will bless them. Other cultures would not do these kinds of things.

Having such an embarrassing experience made me think a lot about culture. Saying “Bless you” is part of American culture. Burning fake paper money is part of some Chinese traditions. This experience taught me that small action carry a lot of meaning. Now, when I hear someone say “Bless you,” I understand that it is not only a way for some Americans to pray for blessing, but also a part of American culture.

Essay 1, Accepting Small Talk

Mikhail Pukaniuk

ESL 100

October 25, 2026

Accepting Small Talk

Imagine a situation where I’m walking on the street with my friends or by myself, and some strangers stop me. I’m confused, and the thoughts in my brain are like, «Michael? Wait a second, what is going on?». I mean that I have no idea what I should expect from these guys who have just stopped me. Then I hear this phrase «What a beautiful day, right?». I answered, «I’m sorry, but do we know each other?» and then I heard, «Even though I don’t know you, it doesn’t mean that I can’t talk to you or say that this day is beautiful. You know what do I mean? Just be more open.» Of course, I was laughing at these guys by thinking that they are strange, but at that moment I hadn’t realized yet that there was only one strange person - me.

There is definitely a culture of small talk in the United States, and there is no doubt that I have to be a part of it. I would say I never realized how cool it is to start a conversation with some small talk. So, I have started accepting it by trying either to ask or to answer. Once, when I was in the grocery store, I found everything I wanted to buy, and then went to the cashier. She said, «Hello, sir! How are you today?». I have realized many times how was it stupid to answer. «Hey! I’m good! I just didn’t sleep well today. Anyway, I still feel good. Now I’m here to buy some products because I’m going to cook something delicious. And how are you? How is your day?». I remember her face was like a blank. I would even say she had a «poker face.» She answered, «All right, this is interesting, but you don’t have to talk about your whole life story.» I felt so uncomfortable. While I was on my way back home, I considered her words about ten times. When I finally got home, I realized that it was just a service, and she wanted to be polite. Right there I learned an important lesson that small talk is not always a way to start a huge conversation. It can also be something that helps you respect other people.

As a person who grew up in Russia, it might seem strange or unusual to have small talk in the United States because I’m not used to it. In Russia, people who I know usually just say «Hello» and their answers are often yes or no, which can seem rude to some Americans. But despite the fact that I’m not used to small talk, it is exactly what I have been looking for. It’s a way to be polite, to be respectful, and to avoid uncomfortable silence. I believe that everyone finds it helpful. However for me the most helpful benefit of small talk is to be always open for conversation and take away my lack of confidence. I really enjoy the way people communicate here in the United States. It feels like I don’t have to create an interesting sentence or key to unlock a conversation. I can always be accepted by society and be surrounded by people who want to have a good conversation about literally nothing.

Since I realized this important lesson that is called small talk, I have started noticing how my life is changing for the better. Adapting to the United States has become much easier just because of small talk. It might seem simple, but actually it has a deep influence on my life. I don’t feel a lack of confidence anymore because I can always talk with strangers about the weather or just ask, «How is it going?» with an understanding that everything will be okay. I’m so glad to be a part of this culture.

Yubo Jin

October 12, 2026

ESL 100

American Spirit

         “BOOM!” The car accident happened. It was 1 year ago, I had the accident, everyone drove past me and stopped to ask me if I needed help. It was surprised because I had never felt such kindness from strangers in China. A lot of people are afraid of helping others these days because most people don’t want to get in trouble. It might because some people will blackmail others when someone try to help them. The spirit is kind of an English slang “Mind your own business!” That day, I didn’t get hurt. I just get damaged my car, but I was grateful for people who stopped to try to help me.

       In March, 2025, I was living in Tuscaloosa, Alabama studying English at the Because Tuscaloosa is located in a very nature place, I love driving down on windy roads. and driving on windy road was my weekly routine. One day, after a hard rain I was driving on a windy and peaceful road, It was a manual front wheel drive car, but it couldn’t drift. I like to do a little understeering sometimes. Understeering means entering a corner with a higher speed and feeling the front wheels lose some grip. At first, I was feeling fine, and everything was going well, so I decided to go faster and crazier. Then I pulled the handbrake, the rear wheels were out of control suddenly because of the slippery road. The car ran into a mailbox. I felt a strong shake, and my mind went blank. After that, I parked the car to the right and checked if it could still drive. When I was checking, everyone who drove and passed me asked “Are you ok? Do you need some help?” Everyone! I was surprised by the kindness of people in that city because I have never seen the same in my life before. I felt that American people are so kind, especial the southern people. When I got out of the car, I just saw some outside damage, but the main powerful parts were good.

    I was thinking about why this minor thing made me feel so surprised. I thought that it might of because I didn’t see people care about others so much in China when I was growing up. This unfriendly trend in China has been happened for a while because of the terrible system and country development way. For instance, there was a famous case where a man helped an old person who fell down on the road, but the old person said that he knocked him down. The judge asked, “If you didn’t knock him down, why did you help him?” It made people start not trusting each other and not have extra energy to care about others because of the stress from life. In addition, China’s crazy economic development hided people lack of a rich inner life. As the famous Chinese painter Chen Danqing once said, one of the biggest problems people face today is boredom. People often have nothing to do on weekends, but they always feel the need to find something to keep themselves happy. That’s one of the reasons why the entertainment industry in China has developed so well. Most people focus more on material wealth and less on spiritual growth. 

    From that accident I felt that America great is not because the country is great naturally. It is the American people and the spirt of American made this country became great. The spirt of American people that has helped me and touched me time and time again. This also strengthened my thought to stay in the United States. The Stars and Stripes Forever!

Halloween

    A few months after I moved to the United States, I learned about Halloween. I grew up in Korea for almost twenty years, and I didn't have any experience like American Halloween. A few months after I got to Chicago, in the middle of October, I went for a run in the afternoon. I saw something that was attractive to my eyes. I saw a skeleton frame decorated in front of a house, and there were pumpkins too. I was really curious why all my neighbors were putting things in front of their place. One day, I asked my friend why people were dressed in scary costumes. She explained to me about the American Halloween culture. It comes once a year, and most American kids walk around their neighborhood with a small basket and say "Trick or treat" when they knock on the door. In addition, many people dress up in costumes. After I learned about it, I realized that this holiday was an interesting and special part of American culture.

    Many young people dress like specific cartoon characters or superhero's during the day. At night, they walk with their parents in their neighborhood and knock on every door and say trick or treat and collect candy or chocolate. Homeowners open the door when kids approach and give them treats politely. This event is part of custom trend in American history, which continues as a way of treating each other with kindness. During the night, my neighbor's kids knocked on my door and said to trick or treat, but I didn't understand what the meaning of the words was, so I didn't give them anything. It was my first and last embrassing moment since I came to the United States. After that happened, I started preparing candy and chocolate for Halloween every year.

    In addition, many Americans were costumes every Halloween. Some were police or special gent uniforms, and some put on character makeup on their faces. I never enjoyed the holiday party until one of my friends invited me to her house for Halloween. In 2013, I went to her place, but I didn't predict it would be crowded. The guests all dressed like famous characters and enjoyed the party. my friend's husband DJed and everyone was dancing. However, I didn't were a costume or put makeup on my face. Most people there looked at me wondering why I wasn't dressed up. I asked my friend to borrow her cosmetics to put something on my face to pretend I did something. It was a lesson that I have experienced of American Halloween culture. After putting on some makeup, I felt like I could mingle better with the crowd.

    Aa a result, I never thought that I would enjoy American Halloween culture as I do today. However, since I settled in the United States, I have enjoyed this fun holiday. In fact, most American enjoying the Halloween and shows their talent. If I look back at my first embrassing moment on the street and the fun party at my friend's house, I realize that Halloween is not just a simple holiday. It is a wonderful opportunity to connect with neighbors, share joy, and understand part of American culture.

Essay 1

 

November 27th

My first connection with American culture started three years ago. I moved to Chicago in the autumn of 2023. I think it’s the best season to feel the original atmosphere. I started working in Chicago immediately, and after a couple of weeks I found my first American friend here, Dan. The coming holiday was Thanksgiving Day. Dan invited me to celebrate this special day together with his family. I couldn’t say no, because in my country, Ukraine, this day doesn’t exist, and I didn’t have any idea how people celebrated this day here. That dinner taught me what it really means to be thankful.

People usually celebrate Thanksgiving Day in the last week of November. That year it was November 27th. That day I was nervous and excited because it was the first time I was going to have dinner with people I didn’t know. In addition, I didn’t know anything about their traditions. When the Uber driver dropped me off, I saw a beautiful huge house surrounded by trees. The view was so magical, and I wondered if it was real or if I was in a movie. I brought a bottle of wine with me. When the front door opened, I saw Dan and his whole family. They were already waiting for me. I sat at the table and looked everywhere. The design and details inside the house were incredible. The wooden table was full of delicious food, and everything looked so tasty. I still remember the smell of those dishes. But of course, the main dish was a huge baked turkey with fruit. During dinner we asked each other questions, made jokes, and shared funny moments and stories. Deep inside, I felt warm because I had just moved to this city and I didn’t have any friends or acquaintances here who could give me advice or whom I could ask for help. That night I was deeply thankful to this family and Dan for hosting me for this special family holiday.

After that dinner, something changed inside me. I learned that not all people are bad, but also that not everyone can show you their own big family world, full of love, care, and an open heart. I can say that Dan’s family has become like a second family to me. The main feeling I got from that evening is to be open with people, make friends with them, or try to help. If Dan had not invited me, I would never have had that experience with that family. And now I definitely know one big thing, which is why Thanksgiving Day is so important: we are thankful for someone or something in our lives, like friends, family, experience, and work.

I would say that Thanksgiving Day gave me a special understanding and the best first touch with American culture and people, and for the rest of my life, I will always be thankful for this opportunity and experience. This family and that day showed me how to be a human. I hope one day I will be ready to open my door for someone who needs it.

Essay1

The Difference of Social Culture

Before coming to the United States, I had a big fantasy about this country. What I thought was that there were many tall buildings throughout the whole city. Every corner would show the symbol of a developed economy. I also thought that I would adapt to the culture in a short period of time. However, when I really started my life in Chicago, I realized that it is different from what I thought. The social cultures of conversation in China and the US are totally different. This change made me consider if I am not suitable to live in the United States.

            When I came to Chicago, I noticed that people were talking to each other even though they were strangers. Sometimes I take the train and bus, and I always notice that some passengers have a conversation instantly, in spite of just knowing each other less than one minute. Once I was sitting on a train, a man who sit near me suddenly talked to me. He asked me where I was from, my age and talked about his destination that day. At that moment, I felt extremely unconfident and nervous. I was so surprised about his enthusiasm because in China no one would actively talk to a stranger. After the conversation with the stranger, I sighed deeply as if I just took an English test. In contrast, whenever I took the subway or bus in China, I saw people only pay attention to their own things, like talking to friends and scrolling on their phones. Because in Chinese culture, people prefer to gain some personal space to do their own business, so they will treat others in the same way, giving other people personal space as well and not disturbing others.

            From the experience of talking to a stranger in the United States, I recognized that the American social communication culture was something I aspired to. I wanted to be more confident and sociable. I really hope that one day I can have this kind of personality and passion like these Americans. They are confident, enthusiastic, and positive, which are the personalities I lack most. Each time I heard that other people were talking, I believed that the next time if someone talked to me, I would communicate more easily and feel more relaxed with them. However, the truth was that I couldn’t talk to them well like my expectations. The reason might be that I was used to giving space to others and myself like I was in China. Now, although I have become more confident and can give them more satisfactory responses when some people talk to me, I still can’t actively start chatting with someone who I just met less than ten minutes to talk. For me, it is still a big challenge.

            The small talk culture in the United States has greatly improved me, which has given me a better sense of confidence. Now, when someone speaks to me, I am no longer so nervous or speechless like the first time. What I need to admit is that this kind of experience is more meaningful and helpful than in China. It not only improves my social ability but also gives me more courage to break the ice with new friends, which lets me get into the community in Chicago more effectively. In addition, talking to strangers also lets me learn about more cultures from different countries. However, I can’t do this well or feel as relaxed as most Americans, so I will strive to adapt the social culture and be a more confident person in the future.

Essay 1 Good Tips

Daisi Ye

ESLINTG 100 CE

October 9, 2026

Good Tips

There is an old Chinese saying that describes people should respect and follow the traditions when they arrive in a new place. Before I came to the United States, I had already learned about the “Tips Culture” from social media. Tip culture is one of the important parts of American culture. It really relates to people’s daily life and their wallets. When people take Uber or Lyft, they need to pay tips, and when people eat out, they need to pay tips. Recently, sometimes even when they order food to go, they need to pay tips too. I always assumed that people pay tips for the server who has very great service, because in China, people don’t need to pay extra money except for their bills in China. Servers only earn their basic salaries. What I have learned about American culture is that it’s important to consider various perspectives before I make a decision about a cultural aspect that is new to me and also not to be so afraid of making mistakes in a new culture.

I went to Orlando last year by myself to visit one of my relatives. When I came out of the airport, I called an Uber to get to my hotel. After the driver arrived, I tried to put my heavy suitcase into his car. The driver just stayed in his seat and didn’t even open the back door. Without any other choice, I finally put my suitcase into his car. He drove so fast that I thought he might have some emergency and couldn’t wait until he dropped me off. Having no food for a long time and the car’s fast speed made me feel bad and I got a stomachache. When I got out of the car, I had never thought anything was better than breathing fresh air at that time. For these reasons, I decided not to tip the driver, but I still gave him three stars. As everyone might expect, when I checked my Uber rating a few days later, I found that it had dropped. Going back to that evening, I was so hungry that I went to a restaurant near my hotel. It was a Chinese restaurant and most of the items on the menu were Sichuan food. The server was also a Chinese woman who spoke Mandarin. It was almost nine o’clock in the evening, and they weren’t busy because there were few tables in the store. When I tried to place my order, I found no one was there. I didn’t want to waste time because I was hungry and tired, so I went to the front desk and tried to find someone to help me. To be honest, I regretted the whole experience because the food was horrible. The white rice was tough and hard to chew, and the fried fish with vegetables tasted like they were cooked the day before. When I tried to pay my bill, there was still nobody there. Without hesitating, I went to the front desk again. The total bill was around fifty-five dollars, and I gave her fifty-eight because of the terrible food and service. That woman, the server who only appeared one time during my meal, came out and ask, “Don’t you know you need to pay a tip? We only earn money from tips!” I was so embarrassed because she shouted at me, even though there wasn’t anyone else there. I had no idea what to do at that time, so I just gave her some more money and left. 

After these horrible experiences around tips, I have been leaving at least 18 % even though sometimes I am not satisfied. I was afraid that same conflict and embarrassment would happen again. A year ago, I started to work in a restaurant as well, and I realized that the truth is good service deserves good tips; bad service deserves nothing. In addition, as a customer, I realized that server’s paychecks really depend on the tips. As foreigners, people should respect tip culture and American culture too. I have read some posts about tips culture on Chinese social media sites recently. There were still many comments that said people don’t need to pay tips because they think the owners have the duty to pay their employees. For now, I don’t really agree these opinions. Most servers in the United States are just people trying to make a living, and they don’t have the power to change or break the tip culture.

From all these experiences, I learned that people should think from different perspectives. Even though something may look wrong or weird at first, people might change their mind by looking at the other side. I used to be afraid of doing something wrong or looking weird in public because I didn’t know many rules. Before I did anything new, I had to search online information to make sure I wouldn’t make mistakes, like do I need to pay the tips for the subway? Now, I am brave to try new things and follow my heart, and I am not afraid to make mistakes anymore. These experiences not only taught me about the tip culture but also helped me adapt more to this country.

 

Essay 1

 

ESL 100

Allen/Zilun Liu

September 27,2026

Small Actions

I've heard the popular question "How are you?" everywhere in the United States. At first, I was embarrassed because I couldn't reply due to my poor English and shyness. Although there are conversations like this taught in the English textbooks, I never expected that they would come into reality because Chinese people back home seldom greet strangers. Since I arrived the United States in 2024, I have felt the kindness of others through these daily greetings, which also has a great impact on my daily life. As time goes by, I have been able to engage in small talk with strangers, and I think this will be the first step for me to integrate into American culture.

    Two years ago, when I came to the United States for the first time, my aunt took me to Florida for fun. There is a city called Panama City in the Panhandle where we went to visit the beautiful beaches. One afternoon after I landed, we walked along the coast. There were only a few people on the beach, and we met an old white couple who were enjoying the ocean view by the shore. The man suddenly said to us:" How are you?". I was shocked and wondered whether he was someone my aunt knew because they started the conversation casually like friends. A few minutes later, their chat ended, and my aunt translated the conversation for me. They discussed their trip, local food and even the history of how the coast formed. I felt really interested in this kind of small talk to a stranger because simple greetings can connect people from different backgrounds, especially a newcomer like me.

    This experience not only motivated me to improve my English skills, but also showed me the local communication habits. That afternoon on the Florida beach taught me that greetings are a normal way to be friendly to others. This new environment has helped me build courage to overcome embarrassment in uncomfortable situations. I have only been in the United States for two years, but I practice my speaking whenever I get the opportunity, so I have also made new friends through these short and warm conversations. I am slowly figuring out how to adapt to the small nuances of American culture.

      In conclusion, the small talk habit of many Americans has let me realize how greetings can bring people closer with warmth and respect. It has helped me change from an introverted person to an extroverted person. Even if I didn’t meet the old couple in the Panama City, I know there will be others that will start chatting with me. Therefore, I should develop and maintain the curiosity in all kinds of situations during my life. Beyond “How are you?”, phrases like “Have a good day.”, “Nice dress!” will probably put a smile on the faces of people I meet.