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An International At the beginning of fall 2005, the University of <strong>Wisconsin</strong>-Madison International Student Services sponsored an International Student Essay Contest. International students were asked to talk about their journey to the United States and UW-Madison. Some 26 essays were submitted, and although it was a difficult decision, four essays were chosen as the top entries. WAA was proud to be involved in the contest, and in this edition introduces you to the first place winner, Nicolai Ellehuus, and the fourth place winner, Jessica Maitte. Excerpts from their essays are included. The second and third place winners will be introduced in the fall 2006 International Newsletter. First Place: Nicolai Ellehuus Semester of free textbooks or a $100 gift certificate donated by The University Bookstore Nicolai Ellehuus, a student in the Law School, has come to Madison from Copenhagen, Denmark. He arrived here as an exchange student in August 2005 and will return home after the spring 2006 semester. 4 When you start to live in a different country there are many hurdles to pass. Fun is not exactly a word I would use, necessity is better, but the best word is probably intercultural understanding. There is no better way to understand a country than to live there, talk to the people and go through the same bureaucratic steps as everybody else! I spent four full days looking for a cellphone provider, one who did not need a Social Security Number or a $500 deposit in its stead. This magical, nine-digit Social Security Number seems to be the password to the American system. The long, tiring days in the beginning are soon replaced by fun and inspiring days, such as the first class days at the UW. Surrounded by some 40,000 students during inter-class periods on Library Mall, your breath is taken away. If that doesn’t do the trick, how about 80,000 people at Camp Randall for a Badger football game It’s not just the grand experiences that count. One of my most treasured memories is with a construction worker on campus. Coming from a country like Denmark, where you only say hi and how are you to your close friends, it is definitely a culture clash to walk around Madison, where people you pass on the street greet you as a friend. One day I was biking from the Natatorium towards Bascom Hill, passing through some road construction, and as I passed a construction worker, he looked up and said, “Hey, how ya’ doin’” To feel such openness from a complete stranger is something very foreign to me. These small, everyday life experiences make me call Madison and the UW home.
Student Perspective Fourth Place: Jessica Maitte USA Guidebook Jessica Maitte is from Paris, France, and is studying business. She spent the fall 2005 semester in Madison as an exchange student and has returned home, although she says she would have enjoyed staying longer. Welcome to Madison! On a sunny and busy Saturday afternoon, two French girls get off the VanGalder bus. My best friend and I were each carrying over ninety pounds of luggage. The desire to study in the U.S. was my motivation to work hard and to be accepted to the exchange program. Here I was, standing in front of the Memorial Union, trying to figure out how to get to my new home. My roommate and I managed to weave our way through the crowd on State Street, not an easy task since our luggage was heavy with clothes for the harsh <strong>Wisconsin</strong> winters. We finally arrived at the International Coop House where we live with 26 people from all over the world. Cooking is important to me, and being one of the cooks at the Coop, I often happen upon things that would not usually be seen in France. There are so many varieties of peanut butter, but I’ve come to love Jif. I often make a quick peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich as I rush off to class, which brings up another cultural difference. Teachers are not used to students coming to class ten minutes late only to take a seat and finish off their nights rest. We were told there would be lots to read before class. What we were told was true, and we often headed to one of the college libraries to study. I hope this semester at UW-Madison is only the first step of my cultural introduction to the U.S.
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