Congratulations, you got accepted into a school that's far away from home that your parents are nowhere near lurking, and without siblings getting all caught up into your social life. Well, not every cloud has its silver lining, as I sadly discovered while attending school abroad.
1. Tuition
Lord if you don’t have a green card to apply for FASFA, God is with you because your four tuitions can literally buy a house and car and leave change. Worst case scenario your home country dollar is much less valuable than the US dollar making it more out of your parent’s pocket. “Omg! I can work and pay off the money,” said the foreign fool before entering into the Lions’ Den. You then realize that bi-weekly pay that seems like slavery and doesn’t even put a dent in your pocket.
2. Location
City or a rural setting can be either a blessing or a curse. Cities can distract you, while in a rural area you can get mentally frustrated, especially if you are in the state of Florida without a car! You would go miles in some cities without seeing buildings, but you see bush and lakes. While in the urban areas there are always places to go, people to meet, etc. If you aren’t careful, you may fail and have to pay to stay for an extra year or summer classes. Tragic.
3. Food
Being a newly immigrant, I was excited about the new cruising that would bless my taste buds in college. Eh! Wrong I was. Food in college is terrible that is why we always order pizzas and gain the freshman 15. Luckily, some schools provide kitchens from first year up, so the cafeteria food isn't the only option. The seasons and spices are very different, and the fruits are very hard to bite into because of their chemical perspectives. Food is very salty, sweet or bland. Moral of the story is to not be so disappointed if everything doesn’t go your way. You are in a foreign country after all.
4. Culture
This point is really self-explanatory as only your country has its own culture which makes it quite unique. In the U.S., you might expect there to be a blend of cultures since it is one of the largest melting pots in the world; however, they do have their own culture and the descendants or Americanized natives of your country cultural imprint are not the same as your own. You might go to a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the U.S., but you realize to these people it’s just another huge party, and the meaning behind it is thus totally lost. Not to mention, entering into a Caribbean restaurant ordering curry goat and rice and peas and the order looks like it might have come out of Becky’s personal cookbook. Another tragedy. Music is also very different, very different. It might be difficult to dance in a club with only American music in which you don’t understand how people can actually dance to this song, however; when that one song from your country drops you go all out until they change it then back into your corner you go.
5. Homesickness
Yes, it is something that actually happens, and it’s very common in international and natives. Once you get really frustrated with the new scenery, food, culture, etc., you will become very homesick since you are far away from the very people who would comfort you. You will realize how much you truly love your parents as they paid all your bills, bought food, clothes and gave you money. Now you're own your own. Unless you are very wealthy, you are going to get depressed about this stuff a lot. You will become more grateful, especially of your struggles, as you then realize while you always complain about doing household chores, people in college don’t know they can't.
6. Society
This is a very sensitive point, as I have to carefully select my word while typing. Children are raised differently in each corner of the world and entering the U.S. or a different state you will realize this. In the Caribbean, you will rise when the teacher enters the classroom and say good morning and only put up our books in our bags when a teacher says so and not the bell. Good morning, Good evening, Good night to every person you see in site while walking. When doing this in the U.S. they look at me like I’m from a different planet. Within several weeks you will thank your mom for raising you how you are. You might make some of these life changing decisions that some of these college students are making, which is not necessarily good.
The list might not apply to everyone, as it is my own personal experience, but one thing is for sure, you will become even more appreciative of where you come from. From there you will realize you truly are and what you represent. A certain pride for your country will be obtained from this experience.
