Study in the USA - Student Blog

The past few weeks have been a rollercoaster of experiences. First of all, I said goodbye to my friends and to my hometown in Mexico, and I had to face the adventure of discovering this whole new atmosphere of my life. Last Monday I arrived at Valparaiso, Indiana. I have to say that I absolutely love it here, people are nicer than anywhere else I have been in the United States, and the school seems to have a “top-notch” education. The hard part about this experience was saying goodbye to family when they left me here in Valparaiso, and said hello to growing up as an independent human being. Being on my own is definitely one of the most rewarding and wonderful moments of my life. I am living my life as happy as I can, and even though experiencing a new start can be frightful, the hard part is to face it, and everything else will fit into place on its own time.

After arriving at Valparaiso, I started to move in my stuff in the dorms, and of course I was one of the first people there because classes were still a week away and international students had the benefit of being able to move in a couple of days before everybody else. The room was smaller than I pictured, my bed was a sofa at the same time, and we had NO AIR CONDITIONING! I immediately bought a fan and all of the things I needed for me to be able to live on my own. For example, I bought notebooks, 2 posters to decorate my room, a pillow, a lamp, a trash can, a safe, a plastic storage bin to put my clothes, hangers, dishes, soap, laundry bag, laundry soap, towels, a shower tote, a rug, school supplies, and the most important thing…. FOOD! I was all set after a long night of trying to get me moved in, and I was ready to go rest and enjoy the last couple of days with my parents. Finally, after a couple of days of running back and forth, I finally finished to get me settled because I also had to change my car plates to new plates of the new state where I am living at. Things can get done, but try to organize them before you arrive in the USA so things can flow more smoothly and you can actually enjoy the ride.

Later on, the weekend before classes I got to go to the international orientation and I got to meet people from all over the world. There were international students from Germany, England, Turkey, France, China, Korea, Africa, Ukraine, Ecuador, India, Poland, Saudi-Arabia, and many many other places. It was great to actually attend this orientation, because from there I found many people that became are now my friends, and actually one of them is from Ecuador, and she has become a very close friend.

I was feeling nervous about meting more people and registering for classes, and then I met my roommate. My roommate is great, and we have more things in common than I can even mention. We get along great, and along with my friend from Ecuador and another girl from our floor, we have become a group of 4 very good friends. The girl from Ecuador and me are Latinas, and the other two girls are from the US, we get along great, and it happens that we are all in the business field.

Trying to meet new people and keeping an open mind in getting to know other cultures can help us to develop and become more mature people. I would not trade this experience for anything, and I can definitely say that this is one of the best moments of my life. Or like there is a phrase that says: “Carpe Diem” which is in Latin for SEIZE THE DAY….Take advantage of everything!

Wow….7 more days and I will be back in the US, I am sure going to miss Mexico but I am so excited for what is coming next for me! Well, as I am going to be a sophomore in a new University, I am really nervous about getting to a new place without knowing anyone, although the idea of having a fresh start excites me…I am going to meet people from all over the world and I will be surrounded by a complete new atmosphere, which really intrigues me; it makes me want to discover more about this new place I will be living in for the next 3 to 4 years.

As you know, I was studying at Southeast Missouri State University (also known as SEMO) for the last year, so I am going to have to pick up my stuff from Missouri and move them to Valparaiso University, my new college I will attend to in Indiana. The distance from place to place is about 6 hours driving, so it shouldn’t be really bad. My parents are coming with me and will accompany me in my first tour of the new University. It will be kind of hard to leave Missouri because I adapted to this new place and I felt welcomed by everybody. Also, I made really good friends and I simply got used to the SEMO type of living. I am not saying it will not be hard, but I am sure that all of this is just part of the process of letting go and looking for new opportunities outside of the familiar zone we all have.

When I got to Missouri in August 2007, I realized that the Universities in the United States are very different and at the same time a lot like the Universities in Mexico. First of all, I realized that in the United States you have your courses requirements by area, and each area has its own classes that you can choose from, when in Mexico most of the time you have the classes chosen for you, but in both places you can usually choose the professor your prefer. Also, most of the students in the Universities in the US DO NOT live with their parents, when in Mexico most of the college students DO live with their parents. In the same way, in the United States it is very common to hear terms like FAFSA and loans for students because many of the students pay for their own University education, when in Mexico loans are not common for students to use, actually many of the students in Mexico have their education paid by their parents. Just like all of those examples, I realized that public education in the US is not very cheap; sometimes it is more expensive than a private institution. On the other hand, in Mexico public education is a lot cheaper than private, but in both places one can realize that private institutions are not always better than public ones.

As an international student, I realize that sometimes it can be intimidating to get to a new place and have everything around be unfamiliar, but this world is filled with people that will help you and welcome you, don’t lose your patience! Also, trust your instincts and try to enjoy everything around you, learn as much as you can from this whole new experience. As Khalil Gibran once wrote in his book Broken Wings, “Challenging obstacles and difficulties is more noble than retiring to tranquility,” as you can see history has pushed us to try new things, let’s do it!

Gibran, Khalil. Alas Rotas. Trans. Ángeles F. Rubio. Spain: Mestas Ediciones, 2007.

My name is Laura Herrejón, and I was born in the city of Monterrey about 19 years ago. Later on, at the age of 8, my family and I moved to the city of Querétaro, which has become my home for the last 11 years.
For my elementary and my secondary education, I attended the American School of the state of Querétaro which helped me a lot to learn about the cultural background of America. Later on, at 13, I participated in a foreign exchange program that allowed me to learn more about the American way of life. I lived in the town of Tomah, Wisconsin and stayed there for about eight weeks. Staying in Wisconsin with an American family gave me a hands-on experience of the American lifestyle.

After graduating middle school, I applied to the top high school in Mexico. I was accepted into the Tecnológico de Monterrey system. Since then, I became involved in many extracurricular activities, such as aerobics, spinning, yoga, gym, hawaiian dancing and volleyball. Also, the last semester of high school, I participated in a Model United Nations by representing the USA. I received an award for the Best Delegate out of the 400 participants. In this simulation I had to research, create resolutions, and speak in English the entire time. The process used in the simulation was entertaining and fun as well as educational. I was very proud of everything I accomplished.

Moreover, I have been studying French for the past three years, which will help me a lot for my academic and cultural development. Throughout the experiences I have lived, I learned to adapt to new cultures that came from people with different backgrounds; but all of this did not stop me from loving what I was doing. Sometimes it is worth the effort for the rewards received in every activity I do.
When I was studying my last year of high school, it occurred to me the idea to study in a different country to open my mind to new cultures in a deeper level. At first, I decided to study Accounting and as I researched more about the business world and education, I ended up choosing to study in the USA for my University Studies because of its great business atmosphere. I got admitted to several American Universities and decided to start my Higher-Education studies in Southeast Missouri State University.

Not long after studying in Southeast Missouri State University, I was being recognized for my effort in the University. I was given two diplomas for my placement in the Dean’s Honor List for the semesters of Fall 2007 and Spring 2008. Also, because of the same reason of obtaining high grades, I became a member of the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society and got a certificate for it. In addition, I obtained another different diploma which certified my participation as a treasurer for the International Student Association. In the same way, I received another certificate of recognition for being a member of the Association of Phenomenal Women. I really enjoyed being a part of the school activities and associations; I was actually also involved in the Student Activities Council which organized all the fun events around campus.

It was not until last March 2008 when I was offered a scholarship to study in Valparaiso University, a private institution located in the Northern part of Indiana. By consequence, I decided to take the scholarship and continue my college education there.

The diversity I have been exposed to has opened my eyes to different cultures and ways of thinking. I have faced many challenges, but I managed to pull through by patience, consistency, determination, vision and fun. Now, I am living my life in the USA, where I chose to develop and grow in a personal and educational way. Life becomes more intriguing now and, at the same time, more unpredictable. Having encouragement and knowledge about who I really am, university experience allows me to achieve more dreams, never forgetting to enjoy the process.

We have some great news - the Study in the USA Student blog is being relaunched and we have a brand new blogger ready and waiting to take the reins. Our new blogger is Laura Herrejón, an international student from Mexico who for the last year has been studying at Southeast Missouri State University and for the upcoming semester she will be moving to Valparaiso University in Indiana.

We will start her blog with a brief bio of her life and then we will pass it over to her to start blogging about life as an international student. As always, we encourage you to post comments and ask any questions you may have. Laura will, I am sure, provide loads of helpful advice and tips!

Enjoy!