Being an international student in America is an incredible experience. But it is also a constant challenge as you move across the globe at a very young age. If you are an international student in the US and find yourself overwhelmed with some struggles, you are not alone.
1. Stereotyping
Way back in my first year, a man actually me if there are roads in Nepal considering how there were "mountains" everywhere. NO, WE ACTUALLY CLIMB MOUNTAINS TO GO EVERYWHERE. After the earthquake, a woman actually told me that I wouldn't be able to climb the Everest anymore. WHY NOT THAT IS WHERE I USED TO GO FOR MY MORNING CARDIO!. I have heard things like if there are monkeys everywhere and if everyone is Nepal is a Buddhist.
2. "Your English is good. How do you speak it so well?"
At first you are like "WHAT" until you realize this is the question you will get asked often because many Americans know very little about the rest of the World. Granted that not all international students will speak good English but for someone who does, it is quite irritating to praise them for speaking the language that they grew up speaking. COLONIZATION !! tsk..tsk.
3. The struggle of accents.
Even today when I go to cafes, I have to repeat what I want by spelling the words like (SALMON, ALMOND) .There are many words that are pronounced differently compared to how we pronounce them back home.
I learned it's best to learn them rather than keep fighting over which is the correct way of pronouncing. And when you talk to people back home, they think that your accent has changed!!!
4. The Struggle of "Hi, How are you doing?"
This does not really mean the person wants to know how you are doing. At first, you feel touched by people's care and concern. As you get ready to answer, you realize that the person has already moved beyond your sight. "HI, How are you doing" is a gesture of recognition. Of course, there are some people who will actually want to know how you are doing.
5. The struggle of trying to be "not just being around international students"
There will be American people who will genuinely try to know (many students who have studied abroad or international relations students) , but you just can't connect to them on a cultural level. Most often you feel most "at home" around your fellow international students. Most often, they understand your jokes, your struggles and together make fun of all the stereotypes you encounter on a daily basis.
6. People complaining about how far their home is when they can literally drive there by CAR.
When you complain to an international student who has to travel over 2 days about how far your home is, they are secretly thinking that you are crazy. When you complain about your homesickness to an international student, they are probably thinking, "ATLEAST, YOU ARE ON THE SAME TIMEZONE AS YOUR FAMILY! "
7. The struggle of OPT, CCPT, H-1B Visa....
While many international students want to bang their head and cry during the procedure of obtaining these , the happiness in obtaining them is priceless. For my American friends, these acronyms stand for things you need to obtain during or after college so that you don't get deported from here! And then finding a company which will sponsor your H-1B visa, STRUGGLE..STRUGLLLE...
8. The struggle of not knowing where home is...
"So, here you are too foreign for home too, foreign for here. Never enough for both." - Ijeoma Umebinyuo . This quote says it all.
Despite these struggles, you can't help but fall in LOVE with the country that has given us a platform to raise our voice. And ironically we can't help but defend America when we go back home during the breaks.
