Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Leaving home for college can be tough. Moving to a different country can be tougher.
Loren Cressler, Hoxie senior, found this out when he left this summer to attend British Summer Institute and to travel around Europe.
“There were some very obvious differences,” Cressler said, “like having to pay to use the bathroom and not having Chipotle for two months.”
Cressler is one of about 1,300 students who participate in study abroad programs through the University each year. Almost 1,000 students travel to Kansas from 110 countries for their international experience each year.
Both international students and KU students who have studied abroad can take advantage of services at the University to help transition into life abroad.
The International Shift
According to Sandra Issa, language specialist and cross-cultural adviser at the Applied English Center, counseling and advising services for international students have been incredibly busy.
“We see a lot of students who need help adjusting to their new situations,” Issa said.
The AEC has six cross-cultural advisers available to talk to international students about classes, academics or even personal issues, such as roommate problems and illnesses.
Huong Thanh Vu, Hanoi, Vietnam freshman, uses resources at the AEC and said it was helpful for her to have someone to talk to about classes and the cultural adjustment.
“I still need courage to drink water straight from the tap,” Vu said. “At home we have to boil it, or we’ll get sick. It will definitely take some time to get used to it.”
The AEC, however, only provides services to international students who have applied to the organization.
International Student and Scholar Services is another department at the University that offers advising to help international students acclimate to University life. Before the start of the fall semester, ISSS holds an optional week-long orientation for all incoming international students. Advisers continue to keep in touch with students throughout the year to make sure they are adjusting well.
Michael Ediger, associate director of ISSS, said the department’s main focus was to make the initial transition to the University as smooth and painless as possible.
“We enjoy watching the interaction between students from different parts of the world who wouldn’t normally meet each other,” Ediger said.
He said it was important to make the move easy so that students could do well not only with classes, but with personal goals as well.
Vu said she had already auditioned and been accepted into the University’s World Music Choir.
“I’m really excited to be able to do things here that I wouldn’t be able to at home,” Vu said.
Reverse Culture Shock
Students returning to the U.S. after studying abroad can also experience readjustment problems.
“When students return to their home countries after living in one place it is difficult,” Ediger said. “Dynamics of relationships have changed and learning to re-acclimate can be difficult.”
The Office of Study Abroad helps prepare students for the differences in culture and lifestyle they might experience after leaving home. OSA also provides counseling to help make re-entry back to the U.S. easier.
Jennifer Weghorst, OSA program coordinator, compared this transition to what international students at the University go through. When study abroad programs end, KU students are notified about a re-entry orientation they can attend if they are having trouble readjusting to life at home.
She said that once students grow accustomed to the cultural differences, they also miss the everyday aspects of their host countries.
“It’s easier to see things in your home country in a more critical way,” Weghorst said.
Cressler said it was strange to be back in the U.S. after spending two months in Europe.
“I realized how much more wasteful we are and how much more economical Europe is, and it was frustrating to deal with when I first got home,” Cressler said.
He also said things that were completely normal before he left took him by surprise after his return.
“When I was driving back to Lawrence for school, I drove up behind this guy who had a gun rack and three guns in the back of his truck,” Cressler said. “It really freaked me out because I didn’t see anyone carrying guns in Europe.”
Weghorst said many students went through this kind of reverse culture shock when they first returned to the U.S.
“Overall it’s a very good experience to have on your resumé,” Weghorst said. “It changes your worldview and opens up a lot more opportunities.”
— —Edited by Nick Gerik
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