Some international students say they are asked ridiculous questions when they first come to the United States.
Stereotypical questions can include “Do you own a pet camel?” “Have you eaten at Buckingham Palace?” “Do you always carry things on your head?” “Do you know karate?” or perhaps worst of all, “Do you wear clothes at home?” according to several international students at this college.
International Education Week Monday through Thursday may help put stereotypes on the back burner, said Suzanna Borawski, counselor in the international students office and adviser to the International Student Association.
Zamani Khumalo, industrial engineering sophomore and ISA president, said, “At the end of the day, what is important is meeting new people.”
Khumalo, who is from South Africa, said even though the student association is holding a fundraiser, the goal is not to make $2,000, but rather to make new friends and contacts. The job of international students is to educate Americans about their countries, he said.
For any new student, making friends can be as agonizing as getting a tooth pulled, but it is even more difficult when one is unaccustomed to the culture of the people, some students said.
Nursing sophomore Samuel Anderson first came to the United States from Ghana when he was 17 as a foreign exchange student because he was one of the six people out of 10,000 students at his high school picked to study for free in this country. He attended high school in Tucson, Ariz., and then went back home and taught at his father’s school for 2 1/2 years before returning to study in the United States.
Anderson said his culture taught him to be courteous to women. When he first came here, he opened doors and complimented women.
“They thought I wanted something from them. They thought I was hitting on them,” Anderson said. “They said, ‘I don’t know you. Get away.’”
He asked his host family why people thought he was strange when he tried to help them. His host family told him to focus and continue to do well at what he was doing.
Many of the international students interviewed said fellow students may be friendly one day if they need help with homework, but the next day they walk by and act like they do not know the other person.
“People here are cold,” international business sophomore Yessica Montes said. “People don’t talk in class.” Montes, who is from Oueretaro, Mexico, said it is easier to make friends in Mexico.
Anderson said he is more reserved now because he does not want anyone to think he is flirting. He still loves talking to and meeting new people because this is the way he was raised. He has lived here for 5 1/2 years, so he helps international students deal with the same issues he has faced.
“They want Americans to understand their situation and not to make fun of the way they talk or isolate them,” he said.
Montes said, “It’s kind of hard for us, so we ask for Americans to be patient and not to judge or laugh at us. Try to keep an open mind.”
Anderson said, “Some international students don’t talk in class because they have thick accents and fear rejection. It takes only those with a greater will power to overcome it.”
He said international students can be really sweet and exciting to know.
Experiencing culture shock is nothing new to international students, they said. Students find out rather quickly that studying abroad leads to a list of unexpected endeavors.
Computer science sophomore Said-Alaoui Abderrahman from Morocco was shocked to discover an awesome blend called Tex-Mex.
“I love Tex-Mex, tacos and the country culture,” he said.
Even though he’s more exposed to the culture now, Abderrahman was not surprised with the customs here because he has surfed the Internet and watched American movies.
Khumalo was shocked at not waiting to get things he needed. If he bought a book or phone online, it came the next day. Fast food also was a big icebreaker for him.
“Takeout is ridiculous,” he said.
In South Africa, it was mostly a treat to eat out, and eating healthy was very inexpensive. When Khumalo tried to buy healthy groceries, it cost him $250, he said.
Anderson experienced a bigger cultural shock. On his third day in the United States, when he was 17, he saw two girls kissing in the hallway at his high school.
“I freaked out, absolutely freaked out,” he said. “You don’t see same-sex making out in Ghana, but my host family told me it’s a part of the culture and to get used to it.
“I learned to adapt to the culture and try to understand why people do what they do,” Anderson said. “I learned to appreciate everything instead of hating anything.”
Khumalo had not heard the phrase, “You owe me one,” until he asked a U.S. classmate for help. He did not understand what he owed. In South Africa, people believe in “ubuntu,” doing things out of empathy because they care, not because they have to, he said.
“If you need something, we’ll just do it,” he said.
For international students, tuition at this college is three times higher than what local residents pay. They also must be full-time students and work only on campus; they do not qualify for scholarships, and are not allowed to drop any classes, they said.
“It’s really hard to find work on campus since jobs are limited,” Montes said.
“Sometimes parents help out; sometimes they don’t. Only those truly determined make it,” Anderson said.
There are many advantages to studying in the United States, they said.
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