QIWEI OU Interview

QIWEI OU

URUMQI, CHINA

“PRODUCT OF LOS ANGELE, GRONINGEN,URUMQI, FOREIGNER TO ALL.”

Qiwei has been studying in the United States since 2014. He is an adventurous person, and he likes California, so he chose to study abroad in the United States. Before entering LMU, he attended a high school in Temecula for three years. Qiwei is 6,811 miles away from home, and when he first arrived in California, he missed home a lot. Especially during the Chinese New Year, he missed home the most. In the past three years, he has not returned home for the Chinese New Year. After studying here for nearly 6 years, he really enjoys being in the U.S. because it has been experimental stage for him to find pieces of him, and others from various social, cultural, economic backgrounds. The greatest lesson he learned here was the power of solidarity. This is the issue not exclusive for him,  but also for international students. Many of them come from places completely different from the United States. In his opinion, the American experience had a significant influence on his personality. He became more open to express himself. Coming to the United States was one of the decisions he did not regret at all.

When he is home, he cooks every meal. He mainly likes cooking Chinese and French cuisine, and sometimes he explores cooking different regions’ food. When I was with him, he spent 5 hours cooking. As he shared with me that when he cooks, it is not for the final product, it is more like his way to rejuvenate himself. When alone, Qiwei likes to play guitar. This always reminds him of the past, good and bad memories. In addition, he enjoys reading. Qiwei personally thinks that reading is not about the destination, but more about the journey. Reading a lot or not reading really shows which mental stage he is in throughout his life.