“You’re from Dubai! SO COOL! So which part of India is that exactly?”
International Student: “Uhm…Uhh, Dubai is in a different country actually, it’s in UAE.”
“Do you know English?”
International Student (jokingly): “No…I wrote my Common Application essay in Chinese.”
“Sorry, could you say your name again one more time? Okay, I can’t say that! I’m just going to call you Alexa!”
International Student: “Sure @RenamedAgain.”
International students are posed with the same questions and amusing references to stereotypes, often encouraging us to play the ‘exotic’ card. We love reminiscing about home, cooking authentic Asian food for our dorm mates, teaching them Hindi cuss words and inviting them to celebrate our traditional festivals. Six weeks into Duke life, we have moved beyond being the ambassadors of our countries and are now known as the individuals that we are. There is, however, still that inevitable bond that remains between fellow international students and is strengthened through the things we share in common like:
1. GroupMe
International Student: “Add me on the Whatsapp group!”
“Huh? What’s Whatsapp? Just post it in the GroupMe.”
International Student: “The Group-what?”
Every international student’s primary mode of communication is ‘Whatsapp.’ This ingenious application is the only thing we know and quite simply, is our lifeline. Coming here and discovering that ‘GroupMe’ is its American substitute was baffling. Soon enough, however, we had to switch our loyalties and install this mysterious application.
2. OMG! I’m so salty.
The slang that the Americans use is quirky and surprisingly funny, but strange enough to throw us off. I often give a reassuring nod and a mechanical smile, pretending to understand how ‘basic’ that girl’s necklace or why he’s feeling so ‘salty’ today. But the one word we found the most puzzling in the international community was undoubtedly ’darty!’
3. I have a ‘quiz’ tomorrow
Ah, that misleading word…International students cannot quite understand the concept of a ‘quiz.’ It requires a fair amount of studying, cannot be a collaborative effort and is graded. The word ‘quiz’ may have euphemistic purposes, but it isn’t making anyone feel much better! Why not just call it a test?
4. Marketplace dinner is my lunchtime.
Marketplace dinner between 5 p.m.-9 p.m. just does not work for some of us. At home, lunch time was about 3 p.m and dinner wasn’t served till 10 p.m. We reluctantly stuff food down our throats at 8 p.m. and then experience intense hunger cravings at 11 p.m. Midnight deliveries from Dominoes, Chipotle and Jimmy Jones is the only survival tactic.
Regardless of the petty problems we might have to deal with, we seem to be assimilating more and more into the American culture each day. We love their energy, their astonishing ability to never stop talking, their use of the word ‘like’ and ‘bro,’ their array of Sperrys and TOMS, their obsession with American football and their gregariousness! We sometimes tease our friends about the quirks of the American lifestyle though we are slowly, but surely falling in love with it. If I don’t catch myself, I might just have “y’all” and “basic” peppered into my speech by the end of the year.