Thoughts on Beginning College as an International Student

Studying abroad for college has been my dream. My dad had nurtured my dream of studying abroad by telling me his stories from his unforgettable study abroad experience in Australia. Since then, I had always desired to immerse myself in different cultures and to experience all the opportunities studying abroad could offer me.

Then came the day I opened my acceptance letter. I was on the bus to school, and I had to suppress my happiness as there were other students around. Since then, I spent my high school days counting down the day I would start my new journey in the U.S.

Flash forward to August 28 when the plane took off from Hanoi, and my journey began. After 36 hours of flights and layovers, I had finally arrived. This was it: the campus with brick red buildings and the curved gate that reads “Mount Holyoke College.” Looking at where I would spend my four years, I felt excitement mixed with a terrifying worry filling my body.

Three weeks have passed with new experiences, struggles, excitement, and happiness. Here are my thoughts of those first weeks of college as an international student.

1. My friends wanted to know how to pronounce my Vietnamese name.

I did not adopt any English names, because there was no English name that could fit me. My Vietnamese name has two parts, which is quite uncommon here. One part is easy to be pronounced. However, the other one has the sound “Th,” which doesn’t have an English equivalent. You release a lot of air when pronouncing that sound. Thus, it is more laminal than its English closest counterpart “t.” It is an abstract concept. I was so glad that my American friends took the extra effort to learn how to pronounce my Vietnamese name. It has felt welcoming here that my friends are willing to learn some parts of my identity.

2. My first writing assignment was not as terrifying as I thought.

There were no writing assignments for school back home. Thus, I thought that here, I would have to spend sleepless nights researching and wandering around the library. However, my first paper turned out to be bearable. To me, the most crucial part was finding examples to support the ideas in the reading materials and dropping by professor’s office. My schedule was tight, so I didn’t always have the chance to discuss with my professor. However, the most painful part for me was cutting down the word count for my paper.

3. The weather is unpredictable.

I was ready for the snow and the ice, but not for the weather that can be cold, sunny, and windy all in the same week. The heat was intense during orientation days, but during the second week of class, the temperature dropped to 55ºF (13ºC). I had to unpack my suitcase to take all my coats out. And over the weekend, the sun was shining again. Some days will be warm, or rainy, but some days will unexpectedly be as cold as the winter weather in my country.

Studying abroad is exciting, but can be challenging at the same time. There will be more challenges, more sleepless nights, and maybe more rainy days. Who knows what is next, but I am ready.

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• culture shock
• international student
• reflection
• study abroad