I was born in New Zealand; when I was 8, my family moved back to China. A family friend who went to NMH recommended it to me, but I wasn't able to visit before I enrolled because it is so far from home. Since I didn't know what the United States or the school would be like, I was really scared about the changes I would have to make when I got here. Then I arrived and realized I didn't need to worry. Everybody here cares about you so much. They help you adapt into this new way of life. Every student has a different background. In my dorm we have students from all over the world. My roommate is American, but I also have neighbors from Germany, Korea, Dominica, Mali, Hungary, and Uruguay. We hang out in the dorm all the time and learn words in one another's languages. During spring break, I traveled to Florida to visit my roommate, and next summer my roommate is planning to visit me in Beijing. I had never played field hockey before I came NMH. I'd never even seen a game. But my friends said it was a lot of fun, so I tried out for thirds. After one week of tryouts I began to learn the stick work. My coaches always gave me chances to participate in games and encouraged me no matter what. I went from learning how to hold a stick to playing against other teams to winning games with my teammates. The whole process was long but extremely memorable.