Being an international student is a weird experience. We’re experiencing new culture, constantly meeting new people and trying to understand a new education system. However, at the same time, we get to experience new traditions, eat exciting food and immerse ourselves in a completely new world. Here are a few problems we all face as international students in America.
1. Food
American food can be…a lot. The portions in America are overwhelmingly huge. And don’t forget, there’s always, always intense amounts of cheese on every dish.
2. Toilet paper
There’s just something about bidets that is more sophisticated and classy than using toilet paper. It just feels cleaner.
3. Thanksgiving
Unlike most of our American peers, we have no family to celebrate Thanksgiving with. We’re always searching for a friend’s house to visit, and waiting on invitations to dinner.
4. Money
We constantly have to convert American currency into our currency back home. We either give up on a great deal because we can get it for a better price at home, or we over spend because it costs less compared to what we pay in our country!
5. Spelling and pronunciation
International students have to constantly deal with their spellings getting corrected and pronunciations turning heads. I once had to explain to someone that I wasn’t making up the word “thrice,” and that it was a very real, commonly used word in other countries.
6. Passports
It is scary enough to hear our parents tell us about passports being stolen at the airports when we travel, but imagine having to carry it on a night out as your only legally accepted form of ID!
7. Pop culture references
Here’s the deal: American pop culture is pretty popular in most other countries. However, that still doesn’t mean we know every single thing to have happened in this country. Honestly, I just smile and nod when people make references to things I don’t know about. Saves me the time of being judged, and having to explain why I don’t know the song, “Don’t Stop Believing.”
8. Time difference
No one ever has time in college, and managing it gets even more complicated if you’re an international student trying to work in the time difference back home to talk to your family and friends.
9. I-20
I-20s are hands down the scariest invention of all times, and running to get those signed before we leave the country is the most stressful part of being an international student.
10. Accents
International students switch between your accent when you’re talking to a friend back home and talking to your professor on a daily basis. It’s always weird realizing that there’s just a tinge of ~american-ness~ to the way you speak now.
11. Responsibility
We automatically assume the responsibility of teaching our peers about our culture, which means that we cannot afford to make mistakes and reinforce stereotypes about our country!