Transition:

(noun) tran·si·tion \tran(t)-ˈsi-shən\

1. the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.

"The process of changing from one condition to another."

This is the basis of what's going on with the international students you know. Right now, in this first couple weeks of school, they're having to change their "condition." They're going from being experts of their own culture to being novices at yours. They're "transitioning".

I've been there, done that. Like I said in my previous post that you can view here, I've been back and forth between Tanzania and America my whole life. What that meant for me was that I was never the expert of either one. It was always an awkward, confusing thing to try to "transition" into the new culture. I kind of had to change who I was based on where I was. What flew in one culture was sure as heck not gonna fly in the other and I had to adjust some of my behaviors to fit (such as walking barefoot everywhere, that doesn't really work here.)

So this is what they're doing. They're finding the balance. They're becoming students of your culture. It's a bit rough though, so give them some space. If they don't know all the popular songs on the radio or what yoga pants are or what frozen yogurt is, give them a break. Don't make fun of them, they're coming from a whole different world. They may be experiencing culture shock, America is a lot to take in if you've never been here.

Whether it's figuring out what dimes, pennies or nickels are worth, why the food is so bland or why people aren't actually interested it can be rough.

One of the internationals here at Cornerstone said to me, "it's so confusing, all their bills are the same color. In Australia it was so easy, each amount had its own color, but here I have to take them all out and read each one to find the correct bill."

A couple others couldn't believe how early Americans eat dinner. "At 5:00?! We eat at like 9 or 10. . ."

There are many differences that can cause confusion. They might look a little weird pouring loads of hot sauce on everything, but just try to remember they're coming from a different culture, one in which you yourself would look pretty odd. Remember they're unique in their own way.