A doctoral student from China in the College of Education and Human Ecology, Mianmian Fei shares her "Your America in 250 Words” essay.
I visited the Serpent Mound in Peebles, Ohio in late 2024, just days before the Lunar Year of the Snake—a moment that felt deeply personal to me as a Chinese national. The ancient earthwork, shaped like a serpent stretching across the hilltop, resonated with my own cultural symbolism, where the snake represents wisdom and cyclical time. Standing there, I felt an unexpected sense of familiarity in a place far from where I was born.
To me, the United States is inseparable from the Native peoples, who have lived on and cared for this land for generations. I am drawn to Native American sites across Ohio because they remind me that this land carries histories far older than modern cities or borders. Visiting these places allows me to acknowledge these original stewards of the land and to situate myself humbly within a much longer human story. Places like Serpent Mound reveal a country shaped not only by what is built, but by what is remembered—where past and present coexist, and where my own journey unfolds in conversation with those who came long before me.
As an international student, I often navigate questions of distance, identity, and home, but at Serpent Mound, those questions felt quieter. In moments like these, the United States becomes not just the place where I live and study, but a place where I learn how to listen, reflect, and find meaning across histories not my own.
The Office of International Affairs invites Ohio State’s international students to participate in the “Your America in 250 Words” essay and photo contest, a unique opportunity to share personal perspectives and experiences while studying and traveling in the United States.