Plymouth State University - Conning Tower Yearbook (Plymouth, NH)

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International Students At PSC A Cultural Experience Quite often as international students we have been asked, ‘‘How does it feel to be going to school in a foreign country?” Well, it’s glamorous, challenging, exciting, and thrilling. But there are also moments of loneliness, uncomprehensible cultural differences, negative experiences and most of all, homesickness. For the international student as with any student, college has its positive and negative moments. One of the most positive aspects (outside of the excellent academic atmosphere) is the new found friendships that are made during our lives at college. There is something to be cherished in sharing and exchanging exciting ideas with different people and benefiting from such exchanges. A negative aspect of college life for the international student often means being misunderstood, by being culturally different from the American student. Frustrations develop in adapting to a different society, and depression and loneliness come from feeling left out and being too far away from home. One common fallacy is that because we are foreign and we are studying in America, we live a life of luxury in our own countries. Au contraire, many foreign students are here on scholarships, grants, tuition waivers - much like the majority of the American students here at Plymouth. Socially, the average international student comes from a cosmopolitan environment. Living at PSC proves to be challenging and sometimes depressing in that the social life is immensely different from what we are used to. However, adjusting and making 20

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WHO’S WHO American Among Students In Universities And Colleges Richard Archambault Steven Bauersachs Mark Bergeron Jeanne Blodgett David Bowen Steven Burdeau Catherine Chaput Charles Curfman David Daniels Tammie Daniels Daniel Donnellan Norman Frates Lisa Gagnon Kenneth Glander Cindy Glidden Thomas Gravina Keith Havens Kathleen Ireland Michael Jarvinen John Julia Valerie Kidder Mark Lafave Carolyn Lyons Joseph MacIntyre Kevin Marks Kathie Neverett Moore Larry Paoletti Elizabeth Riding Daniel Samson Ellen Schmidt Carol Sussman Timothy Tierney Ellen Tisbert Jeffry Vaughn Vicky Woodward Linda Young

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changes makes for yet another learning experience that can prove to be worthwhile in an overall sound education. Being an international student is many things. However, most importantly, we are people just like you. We yearn and strive for the same things in life that most people do - happiness, honesty, prosperity, peace, and love. We are here at Plymouth State to learn, share, and to grow in as many directions as possible. Interacting with others augments a good education and provides for a satisfying and enlightening broadening of the mind. 21 All students are International Students - be you French, American, or African - let us share in a growing educational and cultural experience and come together as one.