Selene Lee

Lying on the grass looking at the clouds in the sky, so pure and light, Selene still did not know how everything happened. It was like a dream, yet here she was in another country. She did not even know before she landed that this was the center of what everyone in her chosen working field dreamed about: Hollywood, Dreamworks...

Yes, she had been working in film and animation production ever since her graduation from Communication University of China in 2007, which was the school all the famous news reporters and CCTV hosts came from. During five years of working, she adapted all the knowledge and experience for film production and 3D animation that she could acquire. However, like everyone in the industry, she understood that Chinese media production was chaos without a standard process. Every Chinese company seemed to have its own way of working and conflicts happened a lot when working with western artists, directors, and producers. Deep in her heart, Selene was thirsty about the standards of production in the U.S., the most advanced film production country in the world. She wanted to bring that knowledge back home.

She did not expect that her chance would come so quickly. One month ago, she was still working on-site in China, shooting a short film, exhausted but excited, not knowing she would be sent to a foreign country to start a brand new journey. When she got confirmation from her respected boss Cedrick that she would be sent to the USA, it was only about one month before her departure date. The following weeks found her rushing for a TOFE test, applying for I-20, preparing for an interview in the American Embassy, gathering funds for her trip and living expenses, booking tickets, and so on. Such a rush, as everyone said when they heard she only had one month to prepare. Considering that others in her position spent at least a half-year to get ready, everything went pretty well.

She started her trip on September 3, 2012 with a companion, her friend and future classmate Nichole Liu. Selene felt it was so lucky to have Nichole with her. Nichole was like a big sister, taking care of a lot of things for the two of them: luggage, traveling, lodging, etc. Everything was so fresh and new to them. In a new country, they had to relearn simple things like how to cross the road and how to take a bus. Selene still could not understand why the milk tea stand person got so shocked when she handed him a hundred-dollar bill for a $3