I was told an anecdote about Cornell when I first came here. People say there are four seasons in Ithaca: Orientation week, pre-winter, winter, and post-winter. By now I think I understand what they mean. Ithaca is gorgeous, and Cornell is definitely the most beautiful school that I have ever seen. The days before school started were relaxed and fun, filled with furniture shopping, campus walking, pictures taking and of course, food tasting.

For that week of orientation we enjoyed a beautiful Ithaca summer.

Then school started. And no matter how you wish you could just enjoy the weather and have fun, times flies. And I can’t believe right now 1/3 of the semester has already passed.

For most Chinese students who take undergraduate study in China, graduate study in America will be a challenge. You can no longer be fine skipping classes, partying or dating and cramming the night before finals. And college life here in the U.S. is not about Justin Bieber and ice cream as you might think.

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Though it feels like most people talk about improving their career prospects or getting a better education when they discuss why they want to study in the U.S., in an informal survey on our Facebook page, the majority of you said the cultural experience of studying abroad was the most important reason to study overseas.

Cultural Immersion

Cheerleaders at George Mason (Creative commons photo by Flickr user J Rosenfeld)

For Nareg, it was the “spirit of adventure” that drove his decision to come to the U.S.:

The experience of it all was definitely a major factor: to be away from family and friends, in an unknown environment, is just the kind of adventure which would educate more than any book or lecture could.

Farima agrees.  She says her initial motivation for coming to the U.S. as a high school student was to get a better education, but over time it has been the cultural exposure that has kept her here:

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Ahmed El-Selawy came to the U.S. from Egypt in August to study political science and international studies at American University (AU) on a State Department Near East and South Asia exchange.

Ahmed at work in VOA's public relations office

In the past few days he has watched his hometown of Cairo erupt into protests and chaos.

Ahmed, who interns at VOA, was nice enough to sit down with me and chat about what’s been happening back in Egypt, and what it’s like to watch it from here in the U.S.

Here is our fascinating conversation:

On finding out about the protests via Facebook

So I got those events and people saying, ‘We’re going to protest on the 25th of January.’ Everyone was so excited. That’s when I started to get a background on what’s going on in Egypt.

And then that’s how I followed it. The statuses of my friends, their pictures. Because a lot of my friends went to the protests, so their pictures, their videos, what they write – that’s how I was keeping in touch with what’s going on.

Until suddenly one day they disappeared and I discovered that the government just blocked everything – Twitter, Facebook and all the communication possible.

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Sometimes being far from home can mean missing out on traditions and holidays.  But some colleges make efforts to bring the traditions and holidays to you.

On i-studentlife, Ronak Jain explains the Indian celebration of Diwali and how he was pleasantly surprised to find a Diwali festival in his dorm.

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The Kansan (the University of Kansas student newspaper) compares the experiences of three international students who had very different reactions to arriving in Lawrence, Kansas.  One was so overwhelmed with homesickness and stress he made himself ill.

Our very own Sebastian also attends the University of Kansas and wrote about how he adjusted to life in Lawrence.  He concluded that it’s much different than Santa Cruz, where he comes from, but that learning about the differences is exactly the point.

At this time of year, universities are just getting back into session.  Freshmen and first years are arriving in new cities, and even new countries, for the first time and getting to know the place where they will spend the next few years of their lives.  Our bloggers remember what it was like to arrive in the U.S. for the first time, and give their number one piece of advice for traveling here.

Part 1 focused on the practicalities of traveling, including what paperwork to bring and what to pack.  In this part, the bloggers look at how to adjust to a new country.

Getting Acquainted:

Sebastian Sanchez
When you’re traveling to another country, many people will give you advice on what to bring, where to visit in your new city, and other practicalities. But there is one thing no one told me that now I wish I heard before, and it’s as simple as this: make some friends. Making new friends may sound like something given, but don’t underestimate the importance of emotional support starting from day one.

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“Five things I miss” by blogger Joe, an American who’s studying abroad in Senegal.  #5: Fruit.  #1: Family.

As if in a trance, I picked up my bags, put one foot in front of the other until, by some miracle, I found myself staring into the eyes of the poker-faced official sitting behind the check-in counter.

In retrospect, this was my longest journey ever. Not even the ensuing twenty-nine hour flight from Zimbabwe to New York via the United Arab Emirates could compare to the long distance from the zone of familiarity where my family stood waving affectionately to the South African Airways check-in point where a man in authority sat, indifferent to the cares of the world.

I had waited for too long for this day. Home was an army camp where my aunt always played Sergeant at Arms and imposed on us the role of subordinates. Every morning we would wake up to her shrill voice screaming commands. And every evening, I would go to bed relieved that it was one day closer to the date of my departure.
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