Microsoft Word - Week 13 - Integration Two .docx


Notre Dame’s Non-Academic Lessons  
 

In September, the difference between college and high school came to me as a shock. The 
freedom that came with living with friends in the dorm made it hard for me to learn time 
management. The social and cultural atmosphere of the school was far different from high school 
and definitely an adjustment I had to get used to. During this first semester at Notre Dame, I have 
encountered challenges in staying connected to my roots, coming to terms with people I am 
dissimilar to, and keeping a positive attitude in stressful times.  
 
Being far away from Taiwan and things related to my culture made it difficult for me to stay 
connected. Before coming to Notre Dame, this was never really a challenge. Although, I went to 
an international school in Taiwan, I was still able to stay connected to my culture because I was 
close with family. For example, during Lunar holidays, many malls and streets would be 
decorated. It would be difficult to forget about these holidays when I was back home. However, 
it was hard for me to keep up with the holidays my family was celebrating back home when I am 
far away. Back in high school, it was also easy to stay connected with language. Outside of 
school, the primary language was Mandarin. So, it was simple for me to practice using the 
language if I wanted to. It was upsetting to me at first when I started to notice my Mandarin 
become less fluent here. I felt like I was parting from the culture I had grown up with. I 
responded to these changes by trying to Facetime my parents as much as possible and forcing 
myself to speak Mandarin with them. It also allows me to know what they are up to and stay 
reminded of life back home.  
 
Something I noticed about myself when overcoming this challenge is my increased pride in 
where I was raised. When I first got to Notre Dame, I felt the need to prove that I was 
“American” enough since I did not grow up in America. Now, I am proud to have grown up in 
Taiwan and have a unique cultural background. In relation to Week 11’s assignment about 
encountering community, the quote I chose for this tells us “I think everybody - at least you 
should be more curious and not treat other people like an alien if we're not an American.” (“With 
Voices True Snapshot Summary” (Klaus Center Archive on Race) – Moreau FYE Week Eleven) 
I think this was especially relatable to me and to this challenge I encountered because over time I 
realized how I should not have had to “prove” myself to everyone at Notre Dame. Although this 
issue is still one that needs to be improved on at Notre Dame, I am proud that I am not alone in 
dealing with this and I learned to appreciate my background as I connected with my roots.  
 
Another challenge I encountered was connecting with people I was dissimilar to. When I first got 
to Notre Dame, I was pretty adamant about my own beliefs and judged people who were 
different. Coming to college, I realized that there were people who had beliefs vastly different 
from mine. In high school, which was about 850 students, almost everyone was the same. And if 
they did not believe what the general population did, they usually kept quiet. It was strange to me 
that there were people who had such strong religious and political beliefs that were almost 
opposite to mine. At the beginning of the year, if I knew that someone had opposite or even just 
different beliefs to me, I would unconsciously stray away from them. As the year went on, I 
realized I had to stop judging people by their beliefs. It became clearer to me that even if I do not 
agree with their beliefs, they can be nice people and I did not have to distance myself so much. 
In my opinion, Week 11’s QQC was insightful in offering advice and reflection on the way I 



dislike being treated differently for dissimilarities, and thus how I should treat others when faced 
in the same situation.  
 
Lastly, over the semester I struggled with staying positive and hopeful during stressful times of 
the school year. Although I had experienced stress as well in high school, the independence we 
have in college is an extra load on my plate that I had to learn to handle. During heavy days 
where there are a lot of assignments due or a lot of midterms, it can be hard to stay positive and 
hopeful. For instance, the 2 weeks before Thanksgiving, I was so stressed over the amount of 
work I had to do for upcoming exams. I had not done that well in classes earlier in the semester 
and had a lot to do to bring up my grades. I felt a lot lonelier since I was always on the move 
studying or working on something else. As cheesy as it sounds, I thought about Week 12’s QQC 
about encountering hope. I was inspired by Father Moreau’s story and how he saw the light in 
dark times. (“Holy Cross and Christian Education” – Moreau FYE Week Twelve) In order to 
overcome the challenges I was facing, I worked hard to focus on myself and stay motivated 
despite it being difficult. I made sure I was taking care of myself while getting my work done 
well. When it felt lonely, I tried to cheer myself up by thinking about my future goals. In Week 
12’s QQC, we learned about Father Moreau’s courageous journey to creating an educational 
outlet in the United States. Despite the hardships he faced, he persevered to reach his goals 
successfully.  
 
Overall, this semester has taught me a lot about myself. I think that the materials we have gone 
through in Moreau have also allowed me to reflect and improve myself through the challenges 
college has put me through. Moreau QQCs have also helped me gain inspiration, advice, and 
comfort when encountering in staying connected to my roots, coming to terms with people I am 
dissimilar to, and keeping a positive attitude in stressful times. Despite the realizations I have 
made so far, I am still a work in progress and believe there is much more that my Notre Dame 
experience will teach me.