International Students Adjust to Unfamiliar Culture

This fall, new lower Tashi Bista boarded a flight from his hometown of Katmandu, Nepal, crossing the ocean to begin his new life at Exeter. It was his first time in America, and he didn’t know what to expect.“The environment was utterly new for me, like dropping into a new planet,” said Bista of his first day at the Academy. “Everything was new to me, even the ways I had to open the windows and doors. It was great, though - lots of the people I met were friendly and ready to help me,” he said.Prior to coming to Exeter, Bista studied at a residential school in the city of Katmandu for much of his life, periodically returning to his hometown, the rural village of Lo-manthang. Lo-mathang is located in a dry and windy region situated at an altitude of between 12,000 and 15,000 feet where Buddhism is the dominant religion and vehicles are scarce.  He is among the 40-plus new international students who arrived at the Academy this fall.Many of these new international students find themselves not only navigating a foreign campus and Harkness-style classes, but oftentimes, an unfamiliar cultural climate and language.Senior Barbie Sarkozi said that although the language barrier has been difficult, her peers have helped her to adjust. She comes to Exeter from Erd, Hungary through a scholarship program for Asian and European students hoping to study in the United States.“One of the biggest challenges is definitely speaking English all the time. People smile at me, they say they like my accent, and smile when I speak in random Hungarian. It’s a very low-pressure environment,” she said.Initially, she was intrigued by the differences in social interaction in America. “It was interesting to me how sometimes American people you don’t know very well will often say ‘hi,’ or ‘how are you?’ to you, and I would be so surprised I wouldn’t know what to say,” she said.Senior Clara Cohade from Bourgoin-Jallieu, France, had a similar experience. “A lot of things are different, but a big, positive, culture shock I am experiencing is the natural enthusiasm and extroversion of everyone here. In France, people usually basically ignore people they don't know,” she said.Bista, like some international students, has been adapting to speaking English regularly. “The only times when I would talk in English [at home] were when I would meet foreigners who spoke English. English classes in Nepal would mostly emphasis on grammar,” Bista said. “We would discuss or communicate things in Nepali, in English classes. So, I have been facing some challenges with English. I can understand, but can’t speak fluently.”Lower Tan Nazer comes to Exeter from Saudi Arabia, where she has lived her entire life, attending a co-ed British school. Like many international students, she observed cultural differences between Exeter and her school at home. “Classrooms in Saudi don't quite encourage discussion. If you are silent and don't speak, you're considered a good student. It's the complete opposite here at Exeter – students are encouraged and expected to share thoughts and ideas,” she said.Nazer also commented on the difference in social norms between Saudi Arabia and Exeter. “It's more conservative in the sense that women have to be fully covered [in Saudi Arabia] in public,” Nazer said. “Also different genders interact a lot more freely here – it's more strict in Saudi, with most schools being either all female or male,” she said.Lower Stephen Hu, who attended a local school in his hometown of Beijing, China, also observed differences between the system at Exeter and the Chinese system. “In my old school, the classes consisted of 45-50 students, and you couldn’t design what courses to take,” Hu, who came to Exeter to extend his studies in computer science, said. “The program here fosters student initiative and extracurricular activities.”Upper Metincan Suran came to Exeter after attending a boarding school for gifted students in Turkey, after living the first fourteen years of his life in the city of Gaziantep, located along the Syrian border. He came to Exeter hoping to learn in a more diverse environment where “students learn from one another much more than they learn from their teachers.”“The biggest challenge for me was to speak up at the Harkness table since it was not the way I was taught at all. With every class that I take I see that I am getting much better at it, though it may take me a while to fully adjust to this system,” he said. “I remember [on my first day] raising my hand at Harkness table and it was funny because everyone suddenly looked at me in a weird way as if I was doing something really weird, but now I am much more confident when speaking or making a point at Harkness table,” he said.Hu highlighted the anxiety that some international students face when beginning their careers at Exeter.“The most common question many international students ask is whether they can thrive here,” Hu said. “For example, due to the language barrier, I’m not very good at English vocabulary and history, and with all the new things they throw at international students, it can be a challenge to manage everything,” he said. “You need to be efficient, to be confident.”However, like many international students, Hu has found layers of support at the Academy. “Ms. Knapp [the international student coordinator] is really nice, and she and my parents, advisors, and dorm head have guided me through many things,” he said.Many international students have found a sense of community at Exeter.“According to the ‘W’ Theory of Culture Shock, I am still in the ‘Honeymoon Period,’ that is to say the euphoria of beginning a new ‘adventure,’ so I am fine,” Cohade said. “A lot of questions I had were answered during ISO [International Student Orientation] by our wonderful student leaders and faculty members of the Office of Multicultural Affairs. I was surprised to see how fast I adapted to Exeter – I feel like I have spent months here, even though it has not even been two weeks.”Hu felt similarly. “On the first day I was very nervous and I was scared I would make mistakes in dress code or speaking. It was an unexpected new environment,” he said. “Still, I was excited and prepared for new ideas,” he said. “I felt like I belonged here.”