The World Comes to HLG - Hannibal-LaGrange University

Feature
A Long Way From Home . . .
n the Philippines, it is
common practice for
visitors to take the time
to wipe off their chairs before
sitting down and their plates
before eating off of them. Are
they insulting the host No,
they’re simply creating a “warm
atmosphere.”
In some tribes of Zimbabwe,
Bienvenida
it is a sign of friendship to
walk with your guest part of
his or her way home. How
far you walk together is a sign
of how deep the friendship
is. Therefore, the common
American practice of just
walking your guest to the door
can be seen as an insult.
While talking with a friend from Africa, you ask him if he thinks
your dress makes you look fat. Instead of being “polite” he tells
you that it’s not the dress, but the fact that you are fat. You’re deeply
insulted because you don’t realize that in your friend’s culture, he
paid you a compliment because he sees you as healthy and well
cared for.
For international students, these scenarios are only the
beginning. In addition to cultural differences, they have to deal with
being far from their family, learning a new language and tackling the
Dobrodoshli
tough job of being a college student in another country.
Hannibal-LaGrange College currently has 28 international
students from 18 countries, including Scotland, Belarus, Australia,
Norway, Rwanda and Spain. They represent six continents, eight
languages, and countless cultural and social traditions.
From the moment international students get off the airplane,
they must deal with culture shock. Most international students
listed language and the weather as the biggest differences; although
I
there’s nothing sadder than seeing a South American student
braving his first Missouri winter, there are many other subtle cultural
differences that these students must deal with.
Sebastian Gonzalez came to Hannibal-LaGrange from
Argentina, and after graduating in May 2005, he began working in
the computer services department at HLG. As someone who has
“survived” as an international student, Gonzalez had a lot of insight
into the dilemmas that are faced and how they can be overcome.
“Some of the students may face a cultural shock [when they
come to HLG] because the differences in the current and past
environment are so big that the student faces problems adapting to a
new environment,” said Gonzalez. “Different factors can add to this
situation: differences in language, religion, and culture. Also, there
are minor differences that hardly ever become a problem, such as
changes in the food and weather.”
Many students can deal with
America’s obsession with fast
food and material things, but they
have a hard time understanding
interpersonal relationships in the
states.
“There are a lot of things that
are different,” said Sy Kim, a
senior from South Korea. “Most
of all, I would say that we use
different tones and language
when we speak to our elders. I
had a hard time calling people
who are older than me by their
first name because it would be
impossible back home.”
In addition to cultural
differences, there are also
educational differences that international students must face.
Alla Shtyk, a Computer Information Systems major, noted many
academic differences between her home country of Belarus and the
United States.
“In Belarus,
one has to
complete their
education
once they’ve
started it,” said
Alla. “The
only thing is
that one can
take only
one year off
school (for
example, to work to pay for school.) Also, in Belarus students have
to take courses in a certain schedule assigned by the department
each semester, while in the US students are able to pick their own
courses. I like it that way better!”
Feature
11