12 Struggles of Being an International Student

Author: Chiara Benitez

 

Cornell prides itself on diversity, with international students comprising 21% of the student body.  While that population may consist of many different cultures, backgrounds, nations, and continents, there are certain aspects of being an international student here at Cornell that virtually all of us put up with. Here are 11 things every international student struggles with:

 

1. Listening to others comment on your tastes, your habits, and your English.

“Wow I can’t believe you don’t have that where you’re from!”, “Is that a (insert country) thing?”, “How is your English so good?”, and “Your accent is so cute!” are all common phrases that you hear. No, Chipotle is not universal; but yes, many people in foreign countries can speak English, as a third, second, or even first language. The rest of the world is much less exotic yet much more familiar in ways that many people don’t think of.

 

2. Trying hard not to fit your nation’s stereotype in some ways, while trying hard to conform to it in others.

No one wants their friends to have generalized assumptions about their home country. At the same time, stereotypes are not always unfounded—and there are times when you may find yourself trying to reinforce these stereotypes in an attempt to share your culture with others.

 

3. Having to convert literally everything.

From temperature to currency, we international students have to adapt to these scales of measurement. That means learning the hard way that “32 degrees” is not shorts weather and, depending on where you’re from, feeling either very poor or very rich every time you eat a $9 Trillium salad.

 

4. The blessing (or curse) of online shopping.

While the exchange rate may completely influence your spending habits, you still end up wasting all your money on online stores, especially now that you don’t have to pay for international shipping. Plus, everything gets to you so much faster—no need for Amazon shipping to cross an entire ocean just to get your new jacket!

 

5. Juggling between multiple languages.

You completely mispronounce things every now and then, or mix non-English words up in your speech (and sometimes your texts), and realize that no one actually has any idea what you’re saying. The worst part is struggling to find the right word to convey what you mean—only to find out that there is no direct English translation in the first place.

 

6. The paperwork.

There are mountains of paperwork you have to do (that all require signatures from ISSO headquarters all the way in Caldwell Hall) whenever you want to get a job or leave the country. (Sorry, no spontaneous trips to Cancun.)

 

7. Having nowhere to go for break.

No one wants to just sit around on an empty Cornell campus—especially during the winter, when it’s cold and dark and sad and desolate even when Cornell isn’t deserted—and seeing all your friends go back to their families for Thanksgiving can make you really miss home.

 

8. The time difference.

It’s almost impossible to speak to your family and friends because of the time difference; you either have to get up really early, or stay up really late (plus, getting that Instagram timing right is impossible. Say goodbye to your like-count). You’re a zombie for the whole school year too; conquering jetlag in the beginning of the semester takes a while, and by the time you’ve gotten over it, prelim season has kicked in.

 

9. Bringing too much, and leaving things behind.

Fitting your entire life into a suitcase or two is difficult, but you often find yourself bringing unnecessary items that you end up wishing you had left at home. At the same time, if you leave something behind, you’re screwed. By the time you’ve paid your international shipping fee and your favorite fleece makes it across the ocean, winter will be over.

 

10. Worlds colliding.

Sometimes it gets a little lonely out here in the 50 states, but your worlds collide more often than you’d think. You always get overly excited when you meet someone from the same country as you—but sometimes, you get a little freaked out when you meet people who know someone you know from home. Six degrees of separation is very real.

 

11. The drinking age.

It’s a struggle being too young to drink, even if you’ve been buying alcohol and going clubbing for years. Sometimes you’ll find yourself casually walking out of your room with a bottle of vodka before realizing—oops—that probably isn’t a great idea. It amazes you that college students can vote for a world leader and become the legal guardian of a child but still be unable to enter a liquor store. Then again, there are countries out there with stricter drinking policies than the US. Either way, America: you’re drinking wrong.

 

 

12. Not going home.

Realizing that you won’t be going home until the next long break (if ever) is the realest struggle of them all.

 

Attending school far away from home is hard, especially in a foreign country. But despite being thrown into an unfamiliar place, full of unfamiliar people with unfamiliar ways, you’ll always value being international—because no matter how real the struggle is, you know that every challenge you face builds character, and only helps you to appreciate home even more.