Being an International Student at FSU
posted by Elizaveta Ivanova | May 4, 2018 | In Arts and CultureNowadays young people have lots of opportunities to travel around the globe, to meet different people, to broaden their minds while getting to know various cultures. There are lots of opinions and stereotypes about the life of an exchange student. Some people believe that it is really tough to live and study thousands miles away from home, others are sure that studying abroad is all about fun and adventures. Which point is closer to the truth? Let’s ask some FSU’s exchange students!
Helen from Ukraine.
The Voice: Why did you decide to study abroad?
Helen: As for me, I really wanted to see the way educational system works in another country. My major is management and that’s why it was extremely important for me to learn how this area functions in its birth country. Moreover, I always wanted to know more about American culture and see the sights I was able to see only in films.
TV: Did you face any difficulties during your adaptation in the US?
H: It wasn’t very hard because I arrived here with other exchange students, but probably, the most difficult part was hearing English and talking in it all the time and not being able to fully express your thoughts because it’s not your native language.
TV: What is different and what is similar between America and Ukraine?
H: The biggest difference that I have noticed so far is educational system. In Ukraine, professors are not as open with students as American ones. Moreover, they do not involve students in class activities that often, usually they just read their materials from the papers, and they don’t care that much about students’ opinions. Talking about people, Americans seem more open and communicative. Besides, a huge difference is food. In Ukraine, we have a big variety of national cuisine that I miss a lot. For example, our national soup – borsh, vareniky, Ukrainian chocolate, forshmak.
Hiba from Lebanon:
The Voice: Some people think that being an exchange student is very hard. Others claim that exchange students do not study at all, so it is like life-long holidays. Who is closer to the truth?
Hiba: The first, because part of being an exchange student is being exactly like all the other American students here. We take courses that are equally difficult, and we have to keep up with our assignments.
TV: What is different and what is similar between America and Lebanon?
H: What’s different is the academic system. A lot of the courses depend on technological means [in the U.S.]. There is a lot to do online. The instructor-student relationship is much friendlier and less distant. It depends more on critical thinking and requires viewing your own perspective towards different topics. Concerning the people, students here keep more distant relationships. Everything here is very organized. The food is VERY different. In Lebanon we usually indulge ourselves with food. Our food takes a lot of time to prepare. Food in Lebanon is healthier though, and more diverse.
TV: And the last question: if you could bring here one thing (no matter physical or mental one) from your country what would it be? (Tradition, holiday, food, shop)
H: I would choose to get the Lebanese evenings here. They are evenings we spend with our close friends, playing cards, listening to music, telling each other funny stories. They are one of the few nights I can spend careless and worriless. I totally forget all the negativity happening around me. We usually do these gatherings over the summer in the village. We wait for every evening without patience until our friends come over. We usually prepare hookahs. We get a lot of snacks, coke, coffee, tea, and traditional Lebanese baked bread with cheese or thyme inside (Manakeesh). Sometimes we would go for long walks on 4:00 in the morning around the village, though it becomes extremely cold but that happens to be part of the fun. We might also tell scary stories– and eventually wake neighbors up.
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