--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In China, I lived in a dormitory, and the…" description: "\"In China, I lived in a dormitory, and the government paid for everything - food, buses. In Iowa, I had to run after the bus, and cook for myself. The f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anonymous-1_after_in-china-i-lived-in-a-dormitory-and-the_2583962.jpg" --- # In China, I lived in a dormitory, and the government paid… ![“In China, I lived in a dormitory, and the government paid for everything - food, buses. In Iowa, I had to run after the bus, and cook for myself. The first weeks in the U.S., I was asking, 'Where is my food?'” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anonymous-1_after_in-china-i-lived-in-a-dormitory-and-the_2583962.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anonymous-1_after_in-china-i-lived-in-a-dormitory-and-the_2583962.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anonymous-1_after_in-china-i-lived-in-a-dormitory-and-the_2583962.jpg) > “In China, I lived in a dormitory, and the government paid for everything - food, buses. In Iowa, I had to run after the bus, and cook for myself. The first weeks in the U.S., I was asking, 'Where is my food?'” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author contrasts a fully supported life in China with the self-reliance required after moving to the U.S., highlighting cultural and economic adjustments. **In simple terms:** Moving from support to self-sufficiency was a shock. Key Takeaway Adapt quickly to new environments. Themes culture shock self-reliance adaptation immigration Mood reflective hopeful Type advice personal When to use this quote - college life - first job - relocation - budgeting Key Concepts independence resourcefulness social systems Questions to Reflect On - How did you rebuild your support network? - What strategies helped you become self-sufficient? A Different Perspective Support systems may be unavailable, causing stress and isolation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [After](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after/) [Asking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asking/) [Asking Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asking-food-1801873/) [Bus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bus/) [Buses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buses/) [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [China Lived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china-lived-1801872/) [Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cook/) [Cooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooks/) [Dormitory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dormitory/) [Everything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everything/) [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Food Buses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food-buses-1801870/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Had](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/had/) [Iowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iowa/) [Lived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lived/) [Lived Dormitory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lived-dormitory-1801874/) [Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myself/) [Paid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paid/) [Paid Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paid-food-1801871/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Run](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/run/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) [Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weeks/) [Where](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/where/) ## Related quotes > [Whenever I'd go to restaurants, the main chef came out and was cooking for me, and he's asking me how the food is. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inbee-park/whenever-i-d-go-to-restaurants-the-main-chef-came-out-and-was-cooking/) [Inbee Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inbee-park/) > [He missed Hogwarts so much it was like having a constant stomachache. He missed the castle, with its secret passageways and ghosts, his classes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-missed-hogwarts-so-much-it-was-like-having-a-constant-stomachache/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [China has not lived up to any other trade agreements over the last decade... They don't have any compliance or enforcement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bonior/china-has-not-lived-up-to-any-other-trade-agreements-over-the-last-2/) [David Bonior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bonior/) > [Harry ran upstairs to their dark dormitory. He pulled out the cloak and then his eyes fell on the flute Hagrid had given him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/harry-ran-upstairs-to-their-dark-dormitory-he-pulled-out-the-cloak/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [China has not lived up to any other trade agreements over the last decade. They don't have any compliance, they don't have any enforcement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-e-bonior/china-has-not-lived-up-to-any-other-trade-agreements-over-the-last/) [David E. Bonior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-e-bonior/) > [When I was at Yale, I was one of the students chosen to go to China. I lived there for 1-1/2 years and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-olusola/when-i-was-at-yale-i-was-one-of-the-students-chosen-to-go-to-china-i/) [Kevin Olusola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-olusola/) > [How to figure out the recipe of your life? Your body knows when it needs food. And it asks for it. But if your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-papian/how-to-figure-out-the-recipe-of-your-life-your-body-knows-when-it/) [Ruben Papian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-papian/) > [The first weeks in the US, I was asking, ‘Where is my food?’](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liang-chow/the-first-weeks-in-the-us-i-was-asking-where-is-my-food/) [Liang Chow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liang-chow/) > [The onlooker had better wipe the sympathy off his face. What he has seen is a revolution, not the home of little cogs and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-whyte/the-onlooker-had-better-wipe-the-sympathy-off-his-face-what-he-has/) [William H. Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-whyte/) > [There was a time you saw me once, one afternoon, in the dormitories. There was no one else around, and I was playing this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/there-was-a-time-you-saw-me-once-one-afternoon-in-the-dormitories/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [If I were founding a university I would begin with a smoking room; next a dormitory; and then a decent reading room and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-leacock/if-i-were-founding-a-university-i-would-begin-with-a-smoking-room/) [Stephen Leacock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-leacock/) > [Truths ... are too often considered as so true, that they lose all the power of truth, and lie bed-ridden in the dormitory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/truths-are-too-often-considered-as-so-true-that-they-lose-all-the/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [“A dormitory was a hopeless idea. Whoever thought of encasing two hundred girls in a concrete box?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-hill/a-dormitory-was-a-hopeless-idea-whoever-thought-of-encasing-two/) [Nathan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-hill/) > [“I don’t know how, but the dormitory smells like sleep—like laundry and shoes and night sweats and morning coffee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-don-t-know-how-but-the-dormitory-smells-like-sleep-like-laundry-and/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“the long high ceilings of the children’s dormitory”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sixsmith/the-long-high-ceilings-of-the-children-s-dormitory/) [Martin Sixsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sixsmith/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More After quotes > [At the drop of a hat, people will say there are no roles for women after 40. It's there with a bunch of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/at-the-drop-of-a-hat-people-will-say-there-are-no-roles-for-women/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [When my main character in 'Heat' climbs the tower, the highest diving platform, hoping to resume competitive diving after an injury, I am there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cadnum/when-my-main-character-in-heat-climbs-the-tower-the-highest-diving/) [Michael Cadnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cadnum/) > [I was strictly after hits when it came down to the Jackson 5. That's all I was concerned with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deke-richards/i-was-strictly-after-hits-when-it-came-down-to-the-jackson-5-that-s/) [Deke Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deke-richards/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) > [No lusting after your neighbor's house - or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses/no-lusting-after-your-neighbor-s-house-or-wife-or-servant-or-maid-or/) [Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses/) > [After I finished college, I got a job on Wall Street as a derivatives trader, but after a couple years of it, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/after-i-finished-college-i-got-a-job-on-wall-street-as-a-derivatives/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [When good media takes a bounded form, and comes once in a period of time, it begs to be consumed as a whole -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/when-good-media-takes-a-bounded-form-and-comes-once-in-a-period-of/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [Markets are designed to allow individuals to look after their private needs and to pursue profit. It's really a great invention and I wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/markets-are-designed-to-allow-individuals-to-look-after-their-private/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [I have a lot of success and make a good living, but after while, you start going 'Why? Why are you doing all this?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyra-banks/i-have-a-lot-of-success-and-make-a-good-living-but-after-while-you/) [Tyra Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyra-banks/) > [See to do good, and you will find that happiness will run after you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-freeman-clarke/see-to-do-good-and-you-will-find-that-happiness-will-run-after-you/) [James Freeman Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-freeman-clarke/) > [I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. I really did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-went-to-school-at-night-in-l-a-to-brush-up-on-my-engineering-while/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [Sometimes after a compliment about my characterization skills, I'm asked if I model my characters on real people. Emphatically, no. And sort of, yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/sometimes-after-a-compliment-about-my-characterization-skills-i-m/) [Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/) > [After The Wizard Of Oz I was typecast as a lion, and there aren't all that many parts for lions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-lahr/after-the-wizard-of-oz-i-was-typecast-as-a-lion-and-there-aren-t-all/) [Bert Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-lahr/) > [I'm pretty cautious and not very athletic, so I've only had really dumb injuries, like sprained ankles and allergic reactions. I did have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-wilson/i-m-pretty-cautious-and-not-very-athletic-so-i-ve-only-had-really/) [Mara Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-wilson/) > [I'd like an omelet named after me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-sewell/i-d-like-an-omelet-named-after-me/) [Rufus Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-sewell/) [Browse all 3,411 After quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In China, I lived in a dormitory, and the government paid for everything - food, buses. In Iowa, I had to run after the bus, and cook for myself. The first weeks in the U.S., I was asking, 'Where is my food?'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-china-i-lived-in-a-dormitory-and-the-government-paid-for/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "After" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-china-i-lived-in-a-dormitory-and-the-government-paid-for/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anonymous-1_after_in-china-i-lived-in-a-dormitory-and-the_2583962.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anonymous-1_after_in-china-i-lived-in-a-dormitory-and-the_2583962.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anonymous-1_after_in-china-i-lived-in-a-dormitory-and-the_2583962.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In China, I lived in a dormitory, and the government paid for everything - food, buses. In Iowa, I had to…” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In China, I lived in a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-china-i-lived-in-a-dormitory-and-the-government-paid-for/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-china-i-lived-in-a-dormitory-and-the-government-paid-for/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```