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

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magine how you felt when you packed up and left your family and friends to begin a new life in college. Scared and a little unsure of what was in store for you, you knew that even though you might get homesick at times, home sweet home was just a short drive away. Although this was a true scenerio for most stu- dents, Eri Hikida was an exception to the “suitcase campus” of Northwest. Hikida was from Arai, a city of about 20,000 people in Japan. After going through school all her life in the Japanese school system, she decided to pursue a college education in the United States. “T went to California and stayed in San Diego with a host family for two weeks my second year in high school,” Hikida said. “I couldn’t communicate with my host family because I couldn’t speak English very well, so I decided to study abroad after high school.” Hikida had many reasons for choosing Northwest as her place to obtain a higher education. “T wanted to learn English in the United States and I chose Northwest because it was smaller and more like in the country,” Hikida said. After arriving at Northwest in June of 1995, Hikida went through P.E.P. (Preparatory English Program), a set of classes required for all foreign students, consisting of grammar, listening speaking and reading classes. When the end finally came in December, Hikida took a test similar to the SAT called a TOEFL test in order to be eligible to enroll at Northwest. She began her first semester as a freshman in spring 1996 and wenton to take summer classes. After being away from her family for a year and a half, Hikida looked forward to spending her winter vacation in Japan. “I was so homesick,” Hikida said. ‘Most Ameri- can students went home every weekend and on special holidays, but I couldn’t. At first I didn’t feel homesick, but around summer I got very homesick.” Being away from those who were close to her made Hikida realize how much her friends and family meant to her. However, she only called home once or twice a month because it cost her approxi- mately $1.30 per minute. Cultural differences, like communication be- tween students and faculty, surprised Hikida when she came to Northwest. “America was different because there was a lot of communication with the teachers and there wasn’ta lot of communication with the teachers and the students in Japan,” Hikida said. “Most Japanese were afraid to express their opinions in front of a lot of people, but Americans were good at that.” Although she got homesick at times and envied those who were able to pack up and go home at a moments notice, Hikida enjoyed being in America and was thankful for her Northwest experience. Frat aAida’s Homesickness Remedy Co o by Kelsey Lowe 26 © Special Section

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Bearcat Update anchor Jeff Dickson talks about sports scores and highlights. Dickson Bive up living in Chicago to move to Maryville because of Northwest's television roadcasting program. Photo by Christina Ketler “When I first got here, I had the new kid on the block syndrome and was quiet and not knowing what to expect. During the second semester, I jumped in with both feet and hadn’t stopped swimming since.” —Jeff Dickson Transfer Student ¢ 25 gou

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OL ae SO homesick. Most American students went home every weekend and on special holidays, but I couldn’t. At first I didn’t feel homesick, but around summer I got ag very homesick. 3 - Kri Hikida ikida makes use of h do f the Week” Miso soup and er culinary talents in the basement of Hudson Hall. Hikida received for Hudson Hall by cooking cultural foods one evening, including Korean 4 potato dish called potato korroke. Photo illustration by Amy Roh International Student 27 Boo