根据下面短文内容，在短文的空格处填上一个恰当的词，使短文完整、通顺。
I dreamed of going to the USA when I was a middle school student. When I was in high school, I made up my     to go to America.
I wanted to study English and American culture. And I didn’t want to study in college in Japan at all. In Japan, it is very    to enter a famous college or university but easy to graduate, so students don’t study hard after they enter the college or university. This was one of the reasons why I came to America.
I came to America last September. I have been here for eight months. When I first came here, I was very surprised. There are many differences    Japan and America. I felt it was very strange and interesting.
I was also very upset because I heard English    . Whenever I watched TV, went shopping, or even     a walk, I heard only English. Everything was very hard for me because I could hardly understand English. Now I am used to hearing English and I can talk with Americans more easily,     things are getting better.
After I came here, I realized how much I love my family, how difficult it is to live by    , how exciting it is to live in another country, and how important it is to do     I want to do. If I didn’t come here, maybe I didn’t realize these things. This is the most important experience in my life. I’m going to stay here for about three years. I’ll never forget the life in the USA.