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By Nicole M. Jones
THE BATTALION
Driving on the right side of the road and learning
to decipher the slow drawl of Texan speech took
some getting used to for Shreyas Kumar when he
first arrived in College Station. A native of India,
Kumar came to Texas A&M three months ago to
begin his graduate studies in the computer science
department.
Because Kumar was familiar with the English
language prior to his arrival, his assimilation was
not very difficult. He and his wife temporarily
lived with other graduate students, who provided
guidance during their first few weeks in the new
college town.
Kumar wasted no time becoming saturated in the
“other education” at A&M. He is vice-president of
external programs for the International Student
Association and is involved in the India Association.
Kumar is also an Ambassador of Goodwill, who pro
motes awareness of India, through The Rotary
International, his sponsor.
But many international and exchange students
have difficulty getting involved in the American cul
ture with the ease that Kumar has exhibited. For this
reason, the study abroad office has created pro
grams to deal with the specific needs and concerns
of A&M’s foreign students.
International Exchange Partners was created to
match incoming international exchange students
with current A&M students, mainly based on their
age and activity level, said Laura Weber, a study
abroad adviser. Even with the recent establishment
of the program, about 90 Aggies responded to the
requests for partners for about 40 exchange stu
dents due to arrive before the Fall 2003 semester,
Weber said.
“The program was designed to encourage
Aggies to step out of their comfort zone and be open
to international students,” Weber said.
Aggies who participate in the International
Exchange Partners program can be the link that
lielps the foreign students adapt to Aggieland,
Weber said. By simple actions of offering rides or
inviting the students to social gatherings, they can
become more involved, Weber said.
“When you’re a freshman, it’s hard to come to
A&M and get acclimated to college life,” said
Shankar Annamalai, a senior mechanical engineer
ing major. “(As) an international student, you’re in
a very different cultural environment.”
Annamalai, the president of Aggie International
Ambassadors, said “the bottom line is encouraging
people to be friendly to international students.”
AIA aims to help students experience global cul
ture abroad and at A&M, Annamalai said.
International students and the A&M
International Board have tried to better integrate
foreign students, Annamalai said.
“1 feel that international students sometimes
don’t get the ‘Aggie experience,”’ Annamalai said.
“They don’t experience the same things a typical
domestic student would.”
Setting up house in a new country can pose
many difficulties when trying to adapt. Hyun Sung
(Bill) Kim, a graduate computer science student,
first came to the United States when he was 18
through an exchange program at the University of
California at Davis. For Kim, communication was
the biggest obstacle to overcome during his first two
years in the United States.
“In Korea, they teach us how to read (English),
but speaking and listening are not taught,” Kim said.
“When many Koreans get here for the first time,
they have a hard time communicating with others.”
A cultural difference Kim noticed when he came
to the United States is how Americans interact with
each other.
During a morning jog in California, a man ran by
Kim and said, “What’s up brother!” This is a com
mon greeting among some Americans, but the
expression puzzled Kim. “Why did he say that to
me?” he had asked himself as he recalled the situa
tion. “He’s not my brother.”
“America is so friendly,” Kim said. “In Korea
you don’t speak to people you don’t know.”
Martin Taamhoj, an exchange student from
Denmark, had visited the United States several
times with his family before coming to A&M to
study management. The main difference he noticed
when he came to A&M was the openness regarding
religion. Taamhoj said this contrasted with how the
Protestant faith is downplayed in his home country.
“Particularly here in Texas, I found that people
are very religious,” Taarnhoj said, “and that came as
a culture shock to me.”
Even though Taarnhoj does not appear to be
foreign, he gives himself away as soon as he says
one word.
“I don’t want to abandon my accent,” he
said. “It’s nice to have something that makes
you different.”
Taamhoj, who decided to live on campus during
his time at A&M, described staying in Moses Hall
as “good fun.”
“I’m so glad that I decided to stay in the dorms,”
he said. “You’re right in the middle of everything.”
Some international students crave the opportu
nity to become involved in activities, but they just
need some guidance, Weber said.
“The ‘Aggie experience’ is always there - you
have to take the first step to get it,” said Meera
Alagaraja, an international graduate student in the
Tony Piedra • THE BATTALION
Department of Education and Human Resource
Development.
Kumar said more orientation programs designed
specifically for international students would help
them learn more about A&M. This would help them
become familiar with common terms, such as
“uncover” and “maroon out,” he said.
, Most international students are graduate students
and have less opportunities to experience traditions
such as Elephant Walk, Kumar said.
“People should not assume that international stu
dents automatically get involved,” he said.
Domestic students to become worldly and inter
national students to adapt successfully to the culture
of America and Aggieland, the groups must mix and
make an attempt to learn more about each other.
“It’s a two-way road,“ Annamalai said, “and the
flow is equal on both sides.”
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