Northwest Missouri State University - Tower Yearbook (Maryville, MO)

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American Insight Gained by Foreigners Forty-six international students representing 18 countries chose NWMSU as their temporary home in the 1972-73 school year. Adapting to America ' s cultural and educational systems is aid- ed by the fact that language is not a great obstacle; students must score high on an English usage test to enroll. The greatest problems are vacations and loneliness. However, these have been alleviated somewhat by the International Student Organization. The group, led by Jorg Schneider of Switzerland, sponsored an inter- national dinner for the NWMSU community, a soccer league, and a trip to Kansas City. The following is a personal account by one foreign stu- dent. Leaving for America over three years ago was perhaps the most exciting step I ever made in my life. I could hardly believe that my dream to study in the United States came true. Within eight by KYOJI NAKAO, from JAPAN hours I found myself living in a com- pletely different world. America is uni- que in that it is a nation made up of peo- ple of many nations, colors, and creeds. To the foreigner, this is what makes America unique from that of the rest of the world. In that respect, I knew that my stay in America would enhance my cultural understanding. The America that I experienced was basically composed of students and teachers. The average American stu- dent is generally lazy in his academic study. I find that these students have no real desire to learn for their primary goal is to merely pass an examination. Consequently, I suppose that these students are optimistic about their future or their academic attitudes would change considerably. Also, I find American people in general to be materialistic. This, I believe, is the main cause of the selfish attitudes I find with many people here. I feel that my ex- perience in Maryville has been a plea- sant one. I am glad to find out that most of the teachers here are very kind and helpful to all foreign students. My stay in America has definitely changed my concept of the people of the world. I therefore encourage cultural exchange to everyone. 12

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Hard Work, Cooperation, Fun Fill Married Life by Kathy Sweeney Hard work and a great deal of hustle best describe the lives of married students. No one ever has enough time for enjoyment when they ' re stretching their dollars for tuition, car payments, and rent, because you work whenever possible and study in between times. Haven ' t you ever crammed for a test because you worked the night before? Or eaten T.V. dinners because your wife had a paper to type? It ' s a real go-go deal when you decide to marry while still in school unless Daddy gives you his checkbook to live on cause love doesn ' t buy many groceries or pay the bills. However, we are very happy and when the chips are down we usually agree that living like this for a few years should help to make the future brighter. Shown are Mr. and Mrs. Bob (Kathy) Sweeney and daughter, Kari. M u