Today, more than 500,000 people from around the world are pursuing higher education in the United States. Natalie Barrett, Heran Zhu, Fu-Chih Lai and Antoine Beauchemin are four of them — all studying at Kent State University. Their reasons for attending Kent State are as diverse as the cultures each one comes from, as are their experiences. While these students have found things in common with their American peers and with each other, there are many aspects they acknowledge will always be different.

We’ll let them explain.

Fu-Chih Lai — Prescription for progress

Fu-Chih Lai has had almost seven years to adjust to life in the United States, but there are many things he misses about his life in Taiwan.

“The only nightlife here is to go to the bar or the disco,” Lai, 37, says of the after-hours Kent scene. “In my country, there are bookstores open 24 hours — some are bigger than your department stores. You can spend all night in the bookstore, if you want.”

Originally from Hengchung, a small town in southeast Taiwan, Lai moved to Ohio in 2000 to pursue a master’s degree in nursing at Case Western Reserve University. Lai completed the program in 2002 and moved on to the doctoral program in nursing at Kent State.

Lai says the mix of people and culture in Taiwan is much more diverse than any he has encountered in Ohio. When Lai first started studying in the Buckeye State, he went home at the end of every semester. However, he started to make friends in Ohio, and last September marked the first time in three years Lai had returned back home to Hengchung.

Despite the cultural differences, one thing Lai feels all people have in common is an underlying sense of compassion. Lai completed his bachelor’s degree in nursing in Taiwan and went on to serve in the Taiwanese army in its conflict with China during the late 1990s. He learned many lessons in humanity during his army days and again later, when serving in emergency services in Taiwan.

“All people in the world have some universal value,” Lai says. “No matter what country you are from, everybody wants to live in a good environment — your environment can change, and it may not allow you to express mercy, but you still have it.”

When he completes his doctorate later this year, Lai will return to Taiwan to pursue his nursing career, having no desire to seek employment in the United States.

“In nursing, the United States has the best nursing education system, the best nursing care system in the world,” Lai says. “But if I consider my career development, I will get better development in Taiwan.”

Lai has had the opportunity during his stay in the United States to explore other places in America with friends, such as New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C. He says he enjoys the peaceful surroundings and natural beauty of Kent State but can understand why some students may become irritable or unsettled in such an environment.

“Ohio is good for studying, but it’s boring,” Lai says. “But that’s OK because I came here to study.”

Natalie Barrett — Finding a home team

Growing up in Glasgow, Scotland, Natalie Barrett spent a good portion of her life playing field hockey and dreaming of playing at the collegiate level; however, as in much of Europe, sports are secondary to academics, and Barrett feared once she left high school, she would no longer be able to play at the level she enjoyed.

When a fellow hockey player and older classmate enrolled at Kent State and joined its field hockey team, Barrett began to contemplate making the move herself. She was 10 years old. Years later in 2005, Barrett was accepted by Kent State and its field hockey team.

“The first couple weeks, I was calling home and adjusting. I was worried, but I fit in right away,” she says.

The sophomore marketing major credits her swift adjustment to her teammates, many of whom are international students as well. The American teammates do everything they can to make the international girls feel welcome, Barrett says, often inviting them home for holidays such as Thanksgiving.

“A huge benefit for me was I came into a new team with 19 new best friends,” Barrett says. “I was given a life. Lots of internationals come over here and have nothing.”

Barrett, who spoke English at home, also acknowledges the difficulty the language barrier and difference in culture can play for some international students trying to adapt to life at Kent State.

“There are a lot of American traits in Britain, but everything here is so much bigger and vast,” Barrett says.

This, Barrett feels, may have done American students a disservice, saying many are uneducated about other countries and cultures.

“I’ve been asked some ridiculous questions that I just can’t believe 21-year-olds don’t know,” Barrett says. “The majority of people that I’ve spoken to really are clueless about anything to do with Europe — I think they kind of have the stereotypical view that Scotland is still in the Braveheart era.”

Barrett does not have a car and dislikes the lack of public transportation in Kent, often having to rely on teammates and friends to get places.

"At home, I got used to getting on a train or going on a bus,” Barrett says.

Despite the difference in lifestyles, Barrett feels she has adapted well.

“For me, it was the biggest decision I’ve ever made in my life,” Barrett says of leaving home and attending Kent State, where the pre-business management major intends to become a graduate field hockey coach after completing her undergraduate degree. “It made me more independent, it forced me to grow up in a lot of ways and I had to look after myself and be more reliable — but I loved it.

“I never regret the decision I made. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime that I could never have given up.”

Heran Zhu — An acquired taste

Heran Zhu, a 24-year-old international student from Tianjin, China, was looking for a new experience when he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics from Nankai University. He transferred his credits into the undergraduate finance program at Kent State and has been at the university for a year and a half.

Although he is adapting to life in the United States, Zhu says some things still seem strange to him.

“There are different social systems (in the United States),” Zhu says. “Many of them I cannot understand.

“But here (at Kent State), the school is pretty open minded, and the culture is not that hard,” Zhu says. “It’s just the language problem; sometimes I have to use a dictionary.”

One thing that bothers Zhu about Kent State is the lack of public transportation. Not having a car is difficult when you live in a suburban environment, he says, adding suburbia itself was another element he had to become accustomed to.

“I grew up (in China), in a big city, and I knew almost everything about it,” Zhu says of his initial feelings of displacement at Kent State, saying it was easier for him to study in China as well.

American food has also been a major adjustment for Zhu, who had to learn to cook traditional Chinese meals for himself, not being a fan of American fare.

“The food problem — you guys drink cold water, we don’t,” Zhu says as one example of a difference in tastes between China and the United States. “We don’t eat hamburgers a lot — we like cooking.”

But, Zhu admits, if he is in a hurry, he will grab a hamburger from Burger King rather than cook for himself.

“Both places have advantages for living — it just depends where you want to be,” he adds.

Antoine Beauchemin — A search for diversity

Antoine Beauchemin has more experience than most adapting to life as an international student. Since age 12, he has lived in several different countries — from his home in Montreal, Canada to Warsaw, Poland.

His family’s most recent move to Hudson because of his father’s company transfer led Beauchemin to apply to Kent State.

Beauchemin has been at Kent State since fall 2006, studying for his master’s degree in community counseling through the College of Education, Health and Human Services.

“From an educational point of view it’s been really good,” Beauchemin says of his decision to attend Kent State. “Counseling exists almost exclusively in the United States, and it’s a profession I think suits me well — Kent State’s really good at it.”

One thing that does bother Beauchemin is the lack of other international students in his program — people he could relate to about being an “outsider.” Beauchemin has many international friends in Ohio that he has met through his family and through his involvement with the International Students and Scholar Services office and its programs but has yet to meet another Canadian student.

“Every university says they’re pretty diverse,” Beauchemin says. “But here, people are from a 20-mile radius of Kent in my program — diversity, here, I feel is minimal.”

Beauchemin says diversity at McGill University in Montreal — where he received an international baccalaureate in psychology — was everywhere, culturally and politically. He says he misses those interactions in his program at Kent State.

“It’s a fairly big adjustment but not anything too shocking,” Beauchemin says. “It’s been positive, challenging but positive.”

Beauchemin has not decided whether he will remain in the United States and practice counseling when he has completed his studies, or return to Montreal.

“I’m spending a lot of time now thinking about when this is over, what am I going to do, but I’m looking forward to it,” he says.

Shared international perspectives

Barrett, Zhu, Lai and Beauchemin all had the opportunity to meet one another and discuss their experiences at Kent State one cold Sunday evening in the Student Center. While each student had a different perspective on what life as a Kent State student is like, all shared a common belief stemming from their interaction with many Americans during their stay in the United States: For its own survival, America needs to become more diverse and globally aware.

“I am lucky that in Taiwanese culture, we are exposed to many different things,” Lai says. “American students draw their culture from the past, but you need to understand that past doesn’t count now. You have to learn about other cultures and other countries to stay strong.”

Barrett agreed with Lai, adding that although some people she has met have a basic understanding of other countries, many others show no interest in global learning whatsoever.

“On the whole, it’s something that could be improved,” Barrett says of the lack of exposure to international cultures in American schools. “It’s a shame. Sometimes I wonder how they can be so sheltered.”

Beauchemin was shocked when some of the people he spoke to didn’t know where Montreal was, adding many people were surprised English wasn’t his first language.

“My brother’s girlfriend doesn’t understand why we speak French at home,” Beauchemin says. “It’s like people think, ‘Why would anybody speak anything other than English?’”

Zhu says he feels China and the United States have more in common than some Americans may realize. While he would like for people to learn more about China on their own, he says he will not force them to learn about his culture if they don’t want to.

These reasons, among many others, are why Kent State needs international students, says Ken Cushner, executive director of International Affairs — to provide multiple perspectives and experiences.

“They bring opportunities of first-hand interaction for other students,” Cushner says.

Shelley Blundell is a history graduate
and a senior magazine journalism major.
This is her first story for The Burr.
Contact her at sblundel@kent.edu.

STORY Shelley Blundell
PHOTO Heidi Weber

ABOVE International students gather at a monthly coffee hour sponsored by International Student Services.

 

FROM ACROSS THE WORLD TO AMERICAN CULTURE

Hello Kitty
Japan
- Registered in 1976, Hello Kitty didn’t become popular in the United States until the late 1990s. The earliest Hello Kitty cartoon series in Japan began in 1987, while the American version of the cartoon started in 1991. It wasn’t until celebrities, such as Mariah Carey, started displaying the trademark that it became popular in America.

Hookah
India and Turkey
- The hookah originated in India, but the modern version we are familiar with came from Turkey. Tobacco was used in the water pipe in the 1600s and eventually brought to America during the experimentation period of the 1960s. Now hookah bars can be found in nearly every college town.

Rubik’s Cube
Hungary
- In 1974, a Hungarian inventor developed The Magic Cube and released it to Budapest toy shops. It was released worldwide in 1980 as the Rubik’s Cube. Since then, different versions have been invented to test users’ skills.

Hula Hoop
Egypt and Australia
- “Hooping” originated in ancient Egypt and was adopted by countries throughout the world. In the 1950s, an American toy company named Wham-O re-invented “hooping” after being introduced to twirling hoops in Australia. Because of the imitation of the popular Hawaiian dance, Hula Hoops were born.

Vending Machines
Egypt
- In the first century, a Greek engineer invented a machine that dispensed Holy Water after a coin was distributed. The first in the United States were built in 1888 to sell gum. Since then, nearly anything can be found in various machines, including candy, beverages, condoms and medicine.

— Kelly Pickerel

 

 

THE DECLINE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ENROLLMENT

The realm of international student enrollment in universities has always been a competitive one. After Sept. 11 and the discovery that many of the terrorists linked to the plane hijackings had entered the United States on student visas, restrictions and laws regarding issuing of student visas became tougher than ever.

A 2005 survey conducted by the Institute of International Education, in conjunction with various other national tertiary educational institutions, reported that international student enrollment at U.S. institutions suffered a decline in recent years, particularly at the undergraduate level. The institute, an independent non-profit organization based in New York City, noted in its 2006 annual report that enrollment was beginning to stabilize across the country, mainly crediting a more effective visa-issuing process for the stabilization.

Although Kent State initially bucked the trend, seeing an increase in international enrollment figures post-Sept. 11, international student enrollment is now decreasing.

Ken Cushner, executive director for International Affairs at Kent State, says figures have gone from about 940 in 2004-2005, to 841 current international enrollees at the university.

“We kept attributing the increase to a nice, nurturing environment,” Cushner says of the initial increase in enrollment after Sept. 11. “But now, all those students have graduated.”

“I think it is primarily because of rising tuition costs,” says Deb Lyons, interim director of International Student and Scholar Services, of the decreasing enrollment. “The cost of education in the United States is not getting any cheaper.”

Lyons says Kent State, as well as other American universities, is facing competition from Australia and the United Kingdom for international students because of tuition costs and obtaining visas.

“The students are looking elsewhere,” Lyons says. “The federal government is getting its act together, but it will take another year or so for them to realize this and to start applying to the United States again.”

Cushner says he is having conversations with Kent State President Lester Lefton regarding ways Kent State can improve international student enrollment in the future.