Leaving home is not easy for everyone, especially for those who have to come to a totally different country with different food, culture, and friends than from back home.
I left my home, my city, my country (which is… 8797 miles away) to go to LA to pursue my education as an undergraduate student here. So, I just wanted to share 5 useful hacks on how you can survive as an international student!
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Connect, connect, connect
Since we live in the 21st century, everything can be done in seconds before you’re connected to your family and friends from back home! Go and use it to cure up your homesickness or simply to connect back with them. We have platforms like skype and facetime, where it is free and you can virtually see them through video calls!
2. Join your nationality organizations
Almost each and every university in the US has a special organization/club that involves your nationality or culture, where you can meet friends that share the same nationality with you. There are even organizations with similar cultures from back home, so you can catch up and meet new people.
E.g : Indonesian Students Association in the USA (Permias), Japanese Students Association, Korean Students Association, etc
3. GET OUT & Find as many friends as you can!
Staying in your room won’t change anything, girls! Try to gather as many friends as you can and step out of your comfort zone, and just be yourself! Say hello to a guy or a girl next to you in class, introduce yourself and ask questions, who knows they may be your best friend later? <3
Oh! Don’t forget to look for activities around you, usually college have lots of clubs and fun activities almost every week like music festivals, LA outings, community service and more. They will be the best sources for you to meet everyone from different backgrounds and cultures!
4. Find your HOME FOOD CUISINE HEREEE!
LA is home to many different international cuisines ranging from Chinese, Mexican, India, Japanese, Korean, Thai, and others, which you can find everywhere in LA!
For me, I love this special Indonesian restaurant : “Simpang Asia” located in National Boulevard, LA which reminds me of food from back home.
So, whenever you feel like you want to have food from back home just go and maybe bring a couple of friends to try your favorite cuisines with you.
Here is a top list of international food restaurants in LA:
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Chinese: Din Tai Fung, Sea Harbour Restaurant
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Japanese : Kanpai Sushi, Tsujita Ramen
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Korean : Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong (Korean BBQ), Chosun Galbee
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Mexican: Taqueria Los Anaya, Nina’s Mexican Food
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Indian : Taj India Palace, Samosa House
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Indonesian : Simpang Asia, Ramayani
And many more!
5. Design your VERY own room to make you feel home
Living in a new place where everything seems unfamiliar might be hard for you at first, but don’t worry you can design your very own room to make you feel at home. Put pictures of the people you love (family, friends, boyfriend, girlfriends, etc) on your wall. Design it with your own style with lights, stickers, or anything that you love just to make you feel comfortable and make you feel as if you are home! And don’t forget to surround yourself with your familiar items!