Isaac Hernandez Bridge Reporter
The start of a fall semester brings more than freshman and new staff, it also brings along foreign exchange students. This semester Texas A & M International University will host students from countries ranging from Korea, Germany, Jordan, France, Hong Kong, Africa and Taiwan to name a few. This will add to the already vast diversity of our growing city.
To begin with, one has to take into account the culture shock that comes with leaving home and exploring a whole new country.
Jannet Garcia, Director of the International Office explains.
“For most students this will be their first experience outside of their comfort zone. Most students may be use to living at home surrounded by friends and family. To turn that around completely and put someone in a different element can be shocking at first, but will allow the individual to grow with time.”
There are two sets of culture shock, one in which the individual first arrives to a new destination, and the other can occur when the individual already adapted to a new culture and now has to go back home and interact with his previous social group
Furthermore, students have to make the trip alone and are away from home for several months. Being a stranger in a new town can make any person uncomfortable.
Mandy Wang, from Taiwan, says “It’s so different here. it’s up to us to put ourselves out there and make friends. Luckily most exchange students find friendship amongst each other and we can share the experience together.”
One interesting aspect of being an exchange student is the distance one has to travel. Students can travel anywhere from eight hours to thirty-six hours in order to complete their journey.
Victor Siu, an exchange student from Hong Kong, says, “I had to travel twenty-eight hours before I arrived in Laredo. It can be tiring both mentally and physically.”
The process for any exchange program can take one full academic year. Students arriving at TAMIU knew about there acceptance last summer which gives them plenty of time to prepare.
Most students have no idea what or where Laredo is as Marah Alabweb, from Jordan, states, “When my department told me about TAMIU in Laredo I was surprise since I had no clue what to expect. I got online and Googled all possible information in order to see pictures and do research.”
After such a long trip students can be shocked at the contrast between their hometown and their host university.
Student Makse Aitsh, from Germany explains, “The first thing that caught my eye is the slow pace of the city. The dessert not only brings lots of heat, but also seems to give the city a lonely feeling and empty streets. No one is outside and there is really no night life.”
For most international students this is their first trip to the states, and with that comes plenty of opportunity to travel.
Some of the trips that students plan are the surrounding Texas cities including San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Austin, and Houston, but as the semester comes to a close there are longer breaks and more time to explore.
Angela Leung, a student from Hong Kong, comments, “We are really excited to try different food and see major U.S. landmarks. We are planning a trip at the end of the semester before our journey back home. The winter break will allow us to see Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Vancouver. Before that the Thanksgiving break we plan a trip to New York and explore the great city.”
Local TAMIU students will see most of the international students walking around or even in class which would be a great opportunity to have a conversation with someone new and interesting.
[In all the new exchange students are still learning the ways of Laredo culture, but seem to be making strong bonds between each other, and are looking forward to exploring parts of the United States.