Transcript of Podcast #5: First Week in the U.S. Experiences
In Attendance: Aimee Jiang (she/her), Roman Shrestha (He/Him), & Sanchi Gupta
Aimee: Hello, everyone welcome to another episode of the GIC podcast. My name is Aimee Jiang. I’m the International Student Support Officer for Graduate Division and I am excited to be joined today by 2 of our mentors who are going to talk to us about living in the U.S. for the first time. So I’m going to pass it off to them to introduce themselves.
Roman: Hi, everyone my name is Roman Shrestha. I’m a first year in the chemistry department doing my Ph.D. at UCI, I’m from Chitwan, Nepal and my favorite place to grab snacks around would be Mendocino Farms like it’s just like at UTC and I always go there whenever I need to grab some lunch.
Aimee: I love Mendocino Farms. They have a vegan bahn mi that is my favorite thing there.
Roman: I haven’t tried that yet.
Aimee: It’s a good one.
Sanchi: Okay, I’ll go. Hey, everyone, my name is Sanchi and I’m currently pursuing master computer science at UC Irvine. And I’m right now in New Jersey, going for an internship over here. And I’m from India and I think, one of my favorite escapes would be walking listening to songs and long drives.
Aimee: Yes. I love walking around campus, especially in Aldrich Park. So if you get to campus and you’re, like, I, just want to get outside and stretch and try and deal with jet lag. I highly recommend that you go to Aldrich Park. So we’ll jump into our.
Sanchi: The campus in fact is very nice. I was just saying the campus is actually really nice.
Aimee: Yeah. we have a video coming out soon. That is just a walk around like ring roads so that you can kind of get a feel for what that space is like. I do that on my lunch break sometimes. Just walk the big circle of campus, and it’s it’s very relaxing, especially during the summer. It’s very quiet right now. Yeah. And we pretty much have good weather most of the year. So getting out and going for a walk is is always good. First question. When did you arrive in the U.S. and does anything stand out to you from your first experiences here? Was there anything kind of more shocking or more exciting for you?
Roman: I’ll go first. So I arrived in the U.S. in 2018 because I did my undergrad here at the University of Denver, Colorado. So that was my first international flight like, so straight from Nepal to like Denver to transit like, probably like 19-20 hours in the airports and stuff. So yeah, I got there. And yeah, just like my first airport in America was Chicago O’Hare and it’s just like it was crazy like, that’s when everything started. Yeah, I was like, yeah the airport is like too hard to navigate around, and everything. I had to take like a bus from one terminal to go like in my like to luggage to another and everything. Yeah, so it’s very complicated. And then, after I got to my dorm and everything like. I I think, like it kind of surprised me, because, like how everything was so structured like for this dorm, there’s like this one housing office. And then the RAs and everything. I had no idea about like the RAs, and then like different floor plans. Yeah, so kind of like, that was different. And then the concept of dining hall. Yeah, it’s like that big of a gym on campus and everything. And also like the traffic, traffic rules were crazy because, like back in Nepal, like, we have a lot of traffic, but also there’s like a we don’t have like traffic lights and everything so like it’s all over the place. It’s really complicated. But here, like with like a lot of traffic and everything like, they’re very strict about following the rules and everything, especially for driving around. Yeah, I think those are the kind of like the first thing I remember. And it was definitely very shocking experience when I got here right away.
Aimee: Yeah, I think, Denver is a hard to navigate in a car just in general. I have a hard time with the roads down there, so I imagine that would be even more complicated than just our normal, very structured driving system. Sanchi, what about you?
Sanchi: So landed here on ninth September 2022. We were a group of students. So we all came up together. So it was kind of easier for me to navigate around. We had each other, and we could go around asking as well. And but what the first shocker for me was the fact that the taxis weren’t, did not come right at the airport. So I landed at Los Angeles, so I had to take a bus from there. Go to another place. That’s where all the cabs came and that that’s where we had to go. That was kind of a shocker for me because usually cabs just come at the airport gate, and they they just drop and pick you up from there. So that was one of it. Then, I think, as as Roman, was telling about signals and everything. Back in the day we did not have walking signals. So I had no idea about it. I would just cross the road, and then my friend would introduce me something called some walking signal like you have to press. You have to wait. You have a signal. That’s what we need to cross. That’s back in India it was left right, left. Okay, Cross. It was like that over there? So yeah, those small things. And I think the next shocker was public transport. Yeah, we did have a lot of transport back home. But yeah, here transportation is kind of an issue. It’s either a walk or it’s a cab. So yeah, usually now, whenever we leave out of our houses, we are usually in a group of people so that we can share the cost of the cabs and everything. Well, this is good actually, it was quite a good change for me, I think. It was good.
Aimee: Yeah. I think it’s always fun to step into a different place, right? And that’s what we do as international students or those that travel internationally. You’re, you’re experiencing someone else’s culture. And you’re surprised, maybe sometimes by the things that come up. But sometimes they’re really positive things So now that you’ve both been here for a little bit of time. Roman, you’ve definitely been here a little bit longer. What is your favorite thing about living here in the U.S.
Roman: So for me, I really kinda like, appreciate the opportunities that I have like received out here, like throughout the whole year I’ve been here. Because, like the school, like education system, in the Nepal was it kind of like a, it’s like very different than out here, like we don’t have like the same level of interaction with the teachers like where you can just like hit them up and then set up a meeting and talk about things even outside of class and everything. I guess. Yeah, because in Nepal growing up, it was, it was always like, oh, yeah, like, you meet your teacher at like a designated class and then, like a certain time, and that was like a limited period you get to interact with them and learn from them. But here, when I was in Denver, like just like how approachable and like friendly they were like, I could just like go to their office hour like, and then sit down like you have a full on conversation about like classes. Not only that, like in terms of like professional growth, just like navigating like your life on its own and everything. Yeah, like my professors helped me grow a lot. And probably like, so far, I like to really appreciate that, because, like this really helped me like a kind of like excel in my career and everything. Yeah, and also like it, as you mentioned like when you like a leave, a certain like a place that you are like staying in the bubble like it helps you like grow more. It’s like a mentally, socially, emotionally, and everything. I definitely like a feel like it’s just coming out of here, living in the U.S., like I’ve had more opportunities to like meet new people just like not from like America itself, but like from all around the world, like my best friends, like out in Denver, they they’re from Guatemala, Kenya, and everything. So it’s just like I never like thought like moving to Denver I’ll like, get to like a hang out with people from like other part of the world, and then we just got to like, know each other’s culture and like, really help with each other grow. So it’s like, yeah, like getting to meet people. And also food is very important, like I. I feel like there’s a lot of diversity out here, and I’ve tried, like all sort of like cuisines, just like being in America, which I don’t think I would have found that in Nepal. So yeah.
Aimee: Yeah, yeah, I think we talk about food a lot in GIC, because we all need to eat to stay in life. But we all mostly seem to really enjoy the experience of trying new things. So there’s a lot of different food options near campus. And we’re definitely going to have a couple of different podcasts on food culture, where to find specific kinds of foods. We also are going to talk about dining culture, because tipping is different here than in many other countries. So we’ll talk about some of those things as well. And you brought up a good point and something that we hope to have a podcast on as we get closer to the school year is. Our professors can be really approachable. They also have set times for you to come in and have a meeting. You can set up a separate meeting and so how do you build a relationship with your advisor? With your professors? We’re going to talk about some of those things in future podcasts? Because, I think that is very different than many other countries.
Sanchi: Yes.
Aimee: Yeah, so Sanchi what about you? What, what is your favorite thing living in the U.S. so far?
Sanchi: So honestly, I really do like the campus. So it’s it’s beautiful. There’s so many trees, there’s so many options. There’s this William Mason park just nearby, you can always, it’s just ten minutes walk from my place and that. There’s UTC, there’s so many places to hang out as well. So I think that was one of the one of the things that I really do like over here. Other than that. I think I really do like the fact that over here I’m not limited to anything like people are very approachable. You want to talk to someone, you can just go ahead, start a conversation. They will react very nicely. They’re very helpful. They’ll guide you around. They’re always up for small chit chats, and they tell you so much about themselves. And it’s it’s always good, you know. It’s it’s very refreshing. It’s very different, like it’s not like people just shoo you off, or something like that. No, they there. They want to talk they have things to share. I think that was really nice.
Aimee: Yeah, I hear a lot from people that at grocery stores it can be really different when the person who’s checking your groceries out is like, “How’s your day going” “Oh, I really like this”, especially at Trader Joe’s. If you go to Trader Joe’s by campus, it happens to me all the time they’ll be like, “oh, this is my favorite snack”. They want to talk to you about it, or ask you how long you’ve been eating it or is this your first time trying this, is my favorite thing. I I hear that from students all the time. It’s just a different level of like openness to getting to know strangers that you probably will never talk to again, and you may not ever get their name, but you’ve had a full conversation with them at the grocery store.
Sanchi: So there’s this one thing that happened with me. I was in Albertsons and there was this, there are these, so many types of different cheese and everything. And I wasn’t used to it. I had no idea what, which one to pick. I was so confused. I had one lady, who definitely saw the confusion on my face, and she told me in what of them she would use, which cheese. So, okay, if you want to make something like this. You probably want to go, take that or take this. So I ended up taking I think, feta, and she gave me 2 or 3 recipes and 2 or 3 dishes that I could make with it. I mean, that was really nice, that was really sweet of her to do that. I will also remember that it has a great bakery, Albertsons, has a really nice bakery. So I got some madeleines and cupcakes, and I was at the counter, and the female at the counter would go like, Oh, that’s gonna get over in 3 days. So you want to get some more supplies. And that’s like, okay. It’s nice.
Aimee: Yeah, yeah, I find that that is one of the things that I am confused about. When I travel outside of the U.S.. I go to the grocery store, and I’m like smiling at the cashier, and my husband’s like, don’t do that that’s confusing, that’s confusing to that. But I’m like, why, I’m just so used to it here. So I sometimes, if I’m trying, not you know, sometimes you’re in a day where you’re like processing something. Or maybe you’ve had a really long day. I wear my headphones sometimes to the grocery stuff if I don’t want the cashier talking to me, so if it’s a little overwhelming for you, especially with jet lag, or just being in a new country, if you feel like, oh, this is too much, people are really chatty. I recommend putting on a pair of headphones because people generally be like, okay, this person really doesn’t want to talk right now, and they generally try and respect that. So that is a little piece of advice. If you find that experience a little too much for you. And that brings up a good point. It can be. We have our favorite things right. Living in the U.S., has great benefits, different things that maybe you haven’t experienced before that have been exciting for you. But it’s also not the easiest thing as a as a new person living in the U.S.. So what has been maybe one of the hardest things for the both of you living here?
Roman: I think, like the hardest things are like a changes throughout the time, at like a certain time, like a like a first year or 2 when you were here. Is just like a knowing the American culture like how to interact with people like that, like talking in English to other people like communicating, reaching out by email, and everything like that’s definitely the hardest part, like, I remember my freshman year, just like I thought I had a good English till I got to like meet people and start talking to them, and just like the flow and everything is just like, you know, at a point. So yeah, and like, with time, like I sort of got over it. And then came like culture shock. It’s like missing family around and not being able to go back home because of Covid. There’s just like not having time having to work like in lab and everything not getting vacation. Yeah and like, just like not seeing family for like a year or 2, just like a really, sometimes you’re just like you feel lonely and you’re like, oh, yeah, like, just even like a living in the U.S. worth it at this point. I mean, it is. It is like you, you learn a lot like, you know, you grow a lot but at the same time, like not having family around whenever like you need them. It’s tough, and especially like for me, like I have a lot of friends like growing up in Nepal. And now they’re like in all part of the world. And just like whatever even, I go back home like, I didn’t get to like meet up with them, because, like their vacation time doesn’t like align and everything. So yeah, just like friends, family, culture shock. Probably the hardest part and sometime, like a, like a classes and academics can be tough as well, especially like at the beginning, trying to figure out like a like if a professor sets a deadline, then it’s the deadline you have to turn your stuff by that time. I mean, some professor can be like flexible, and then move it around for you. But like, from experience a lot of a lot of them communicate like way earlier, and then, like they don’t like move it around, depends on the circumstances and everything. So yeah, trying to figure out like, how the classes work like midterms, final exams, and how many like a assignments you need to do like and some classes even have like the attendance policies. Yeah, so like I think, like freshman year. I was all over the place. It’s like so much going on, trying to figure out, and also at the same time like trying to fit in like a make, friends like a learn new stuff. And then also, like kind of like teach them about my culture and everything. Yeah, so. But it’s the process like once you get going, it comes from the rhythm, and you really get like lost into the process and enjoy it. But, like now, looking back, I’m like there was a lot going on.
Aimee: It could be a very emotional experience for a lot of people, especially as you’re first getting settled like I said earlier, it can be really overwhelming to be dealing with new kind of structures in terms of academics and social structures. And Sanchi you talked about pedestrian culture, you know, crossing the roads or not crossing the roads, getting used to all of those things and the sights and the smells and the food. It it can be all really overwhelming. So it’s good to have a place like a GIC mentor who can be like “yes, that’s a normal thing. It’s normal to feel this way. Let’s find some ways to help you feel settled, or relax, or walk around campus and just get yourself out there and and use to your new home”, for sure.
Sanchi: That’s true. I think the, the difficult part for me was you know, setting up the everything by myself. So back in India I always had friends. I always had my sister or my mom and dad taking care of me, you know, cooking, cooking for me and getting me meals, driving me around, shopping with me. It it it’s not like that. It’ll be you. You have to wake up in the morning. Make sure you have something for the breakfast. Make sure you always have milk, bread, cheese. I don’t think I ever went vegetable shopping with my dad as such. But here, every weekend you have to go. Okay, you need food. You need this. And you know you plan ahead that. Okay, on Tuesday I want to cook this on, Wednesday I want to cook this. I should have this. I should have that. So yeah. And then, balancing all of that with your schooling and extra curricular, you are going to gym, and you have all the assignments and everything, and you have your internship search. You have your full time search and so it’s like you just don’t know where you are. It’s just like, Okay, this is there. This is there This is there. Then you have a to do list. And it’s not reducing. It’s it’s only increasing. Okay, I have to do this. I have to do that. This is left. This is left. So I think all of this was really difficult. I had never managed so many things on my own at first, but I but then, you know, I found friends, and seeing them also being in the same modest means, kind of helpful. I say, okay, you know what we can do this, we can do that. And it’s nice to take over. So yeah.
Aimee: Yeah, you’re definitely not the only one experiencing it right? And I think especially depending on who your roommate is. If you have a roommate, if your roommate and you have different cultures, especially if your roommate is maybe an American student. We tend to be a little more individualistic, and so they may be used to having built their own meals. Cook their own things, done their own grocery shopping so for them they might be like, well. Why haven’t you done this? And you’re like, well, this is how we do it in my family and my culture, and we do things together as a unit. And you’re like, what do you want to go to the grocery store with me. Do you want to split food for some people that can be weird? So, laying down those ground rules, especially if you have a housemate can be helpful, and then finding the right people, if you’re like. I find it overwhelming to go grocery shopping by myself, or think about my meals or some things are really big at the grocery store like a really big bag of onions that maybe I’m not gonna go through myself. Find the right people that you can do those things together with, and that can make this experience a lot smoother for you, in terms of getting settled and and getting some community behind you to help through all of that.
Sanchi: That’s true. That’s true. I assume that. So I used to usually go shopping with my parents and everyone. So whenever you try on a top, you show it to them. But over here we have like a 12 our difference. So when I was trying on clothes they were sleeping. I can’t do that. So now I start sending to my friends, okay, choose now choose now. So yeah, I mean, you need to find some replacements here and there now.
Aimee:. Yeah, yeah, especially when the time difference is so big. And you’re yeah, or you buy it and you do a a show at home when they’re all awake, and then, then you take back what they don’t like. You have to, you have to find those ways that work for you and and still build those connections. Even that building connections here, is is definitely super important. I know my mom and I don’t have a time difference, but I used to go shopping with her all the time, so we send pictures constantly to each other when we buy when we’re buying clothes. So we talked about your favorite thing and your hardest thing that you kind of had to deal with as you’ve transitioned here to the U.S.. What advice would you give to people before they come to maybe help prepare themselves a little bit for what to experience?
Roman: I’ll say like. If you’re coming for the first time, I mean, just like, keep in mind, it’s gonna be a like a process of transitioning like there’s gonna be a lot going on like you’re gonna be fine. I mean, like it, it’s tough. But at the same time, like you’re gonna get it done. And personally, for, like from my experience, like, if I didn’t have the community behind me like, I’ll have struggled way more. Like my like a my roommate, my friends like and my family out there in Nepal and all my friends all around the world is like having them around me, and like just keeping in touch like it helped me a lot like at the times like when I was struggling and like mentally like drained out like overwhelmed by school, like life and everything just like talking to them and like figuring out what the priorities are and why am I here, kind of like, help me like it direct my focus to like everything I needed to do in my priority. So just like a don’t, kinda like a separate yourself from that community that you have, and then, if you are struggling, reach out for help just like start with your roommate, I’d say they’re probably like the best person to reach out to, because they’re always around you. For me, like my random roommate from freshmen year, like is still my best friend now, like we somehow got really lucky and now, like we’re like the one of the like. He’s one of my best friend I like had in my life, and then he helped me grow a lot like, learn the American culture, like we’ll go grocery shopping together, and then he’ll help me figure out like what the actual like the brands are, what is good and like, how I should like interact with people. So just kind of like. you’re not like alone in this process. And then just like, if you really need help, start like you’re reaching out to other people, either be your roommate, if not like, just like a people at GIC or like your mentors, or even like professors sometimes like because a lot of the professors, they’re also like, they study and other like a university, other countries that come out here, and they like kind of go through the same process of like a transitioning through different culture and stuff. Like back in Denver, like I had a professor who, like was from Sri Lanka, or like he did his like a undergrad in the U.K. and then he was international student here, doing Ph.D. and everything so kind of like, he directed me with the process of like, how it’s gonna be as an international student and that definitely kind of like prepared myself. So yeah, my like biggest advice to anyone that’s coming out to the U.S., or even like moving out to any new country, would be just like reach out to people like it’s life is much better with when you have community with you. So yeah,
Aimee: For sure.
Sanchi: That’s that’s really true. I thin,k I think I would say, keep an open mind about things. You’ll be surprised how things surprise you over here. I mean, they’re so different. And I mean, if you already have judgments about everything, then it’s not going to help you out. I mean people, cultures, practices, traditions, just come with an open mind. Be accepting. Give everything a chance. Just give it a shot. Maybe you will like it, maybe you won’t. Mostly you will like it, and especially when you’re doing it with people. You end up liking things. So yeah, just come with an open mind. Give things a shot and don’t be like no, I don’t want to do this. I’m not someone who like, it’s it’s fine. Just give it a shot. I think one more thing I would like to say is, try keeping up with a routine. Like when you’re coming here there’ll be so many things for you that at times it is very natural for you to get overwhelmed with the amount of work that you have. So like, when I started, I got myself a routine. So I was always like, okay, this is pending but I have a time scheduling, scheduled for this. Okay, I’m gonna do this tomorrow, so it’s not pending as such. So keeping up with the routine always helped me out. And yeah, always, always keep in touch, like I always have this night time for my parents, and when I talk to them, and I want to know what’s going on with them. I let them know about all these smallest things like how big a pear is over. You know how big a peach is over here. Small things, but they kind of mean a lot to them. And it’s it’s really nice, you know, when you share all that. You end up, you know, thinking about it and going to sleep. So it’s it’s been nice that way.
Aimee: Yeah, I think that’s really important. Those small things you know you both mentioned keeping in touch with your community. It’s, it’s not just like, oh, I’m starting my new quarter, or oh, this big thing happened in my life. It’s you know, oh, today I went on a walk, and I saw a cat on campus, and it was really exciting and telling them all about it, and those kinds of things help you feel connected, help them feel connected, and and continue to keep you in touch. So super important. We talked a little bit about, you know, cultural differences and I think there, there’s always maybe judgment like you mentioned Sanchi, or maybe expectations about what the U.S. culture looks like, and movies and music sometimes play a big role, and why we have those expectations or judgments ahead of time. But what would you say is a realistic way to maybe prepare for what the U.S. culture is, because those things aren’t always very accurate.
Roman: Yeah, I mean, definitely the movies and like in music videos and everything really impacted my like a vision of what America would be like when I was in Nepal like. And then I got out here. I was like, Oh, it’s actually very different, you know. So yeah, I’ll say the realistic way to like know? Like about the U.S. like in terms of culture, society, and like, what’s this like out here is to like literally be here and then see it for yourself and then yeah, in that process like how to prepare would be like if you like, this for example, like you have your friend, and then if you see them like doing something very differently then just ask them about it, you know, like it’s better to like just like ask them about like their culture, and then what it means for them, and then why they do it the certain way. And then probably just like, you know, that’s how I learned myself, too. I was just like, I’ll see my friend like doing certain things like differently, and I’ll just ask them. And they’ll tell me, oh, yeah, like we do this up there out here like this, my culture and everything kinda like and then that’s how I learn from them, I guess. But yeah, as Aimee mentioned like the movies like Hollywood movies. You know, they show like, yeah, it’s just very different.
Aimee: And I think that’s that’s yeah, definitely something we always want to make sure is that
you come in with it like you mentioned, like open minds and and just experience the culture while you’re hereand never be afraid to ask questions. I think a lot of Americans would be like, Oh, well, that’s just common to me. So I sometimes it may have never thought about how that might look to someone who’s from a different culture. But more often than not someone will be very happy to explain it, if you have a question, even if it’s someone in your lab or in one of your classes and you’re like you ask a lot of questions to the professor and they’re like, Yeah, that’s what we do here that’s a very common part of U.S. culture is just asking for clarification in the middle of a classroom, and for many other cultures, you don’t talk to your professor. You definitely don’t interrupt them when they’re teaching. But here it’s very common to raise your hand and be like, I have a question about what you just said. So that’s definitely something I’ve had students be like oh I should just asked someone if that was okay. I thought that student must be in trouble and annoying the Professor, so I think. Ask questions, even if you feel like, Oh, I’m gonna look stupid. You’re not. People are very open to understanding that we come from all sorts of parts of the world and and we want to get to know everyone’s culture.
Sanchi: I think one of the one of the ways that I learned was my roommate was an America and so every day I used to ask her “how was your day? What did you do?” So she would tell me everything about her day. I think one of the most memorable conversations we had was Saint Peter, Saint Patrick’s Day, when she dressed herself in all green, and she was just getting out of the house, and I was like, why, why do you look like I? I think the question I asked, why is it like a plant? She just looked at me and was like do not know? I’m like what? What am I missing here? And she told her about this whole Saint Patrick’s Day, and the culture and beers and everything, and I was like, oh, it’s a thing it’s like. Yes, it’s a thing. And she actually asked me to wear green as well as she was like do not get out of the house if you’re not wearing green, you have to wear green this and green that. So yeah, I mean small things. But it was fun. It’s interesting.
Aimee: Yeah, I think learning the holidays is definitely an important one, because that holiday is is supposed to be Irish. But it’s same with like, the fifth of May, Cinco de Mayo is supposed to be a very like a Mexican holiday, but they’re very American, and the way that things are done, and what really happens on those holidays. It’s always good to ask questions. I know the GIC Instagram page has talked a little bit about some of the holidays that we’ve had come up since we’ve opened our account, and we’ll continue to do that to kind of share that information. St. Patrick’s Day is a funny one because, yeah, if you don’t wear green, people are supposed to be able to pinch you. So your friends might pinch you if you don’t wear green. So you want to be careful because you don’t want to get pinched. Some of us are are more understanding, and we’re like don’t do it again. But that is one of those just kind of weird things in the U.S. that is very common. I think one thing that I’ve realized a lot of students are doing is going on Instagram accounts or Youtube and watching videos of international students and kind of watching their experience as they get used to the U.S.. And obviously still, there’s probably some production to that, and there’s probably some unrealisticness trying to put a spin on it. But I’ve seen a few of them where students have really experienced like culture shock, and been very honest about mental health struggles or how hard it’s been for them to find certain foods or get connected with American students. So I think that’s always a good kind of start, if you’re if you’re trying to find some advice. And so last question is what are some ways that you can maybe overcome homesickness. We all feel it when we travel, or when we’re separated from our family for a length of time. So what are some things that you guys have done when homesickness has become hard for you?
Roman: Yeah, home sickness is very real, and sooner or later, it’s gonna happen. Yeah. So for me, I tried like a lot of different ways. I just like experiment around and see what works for me the best. I mean the one thing I kept consistent with myself staying in touch with my friends and family like very important and then the other ways is like, I try to cook a lot like whenever I can like some Nepali foods, and then, just like a look up some recipes out of Youtube or Google it, or even like, ask your friends or our family around, and then get their recipes and cook it for myself, and invite friends like to join me for dinner. And also, like watch Bollywood movies together. Like, with my other friends like, that’s a big thing. Yeah, I’ve like made a lot of my friends watch Bollywood with me. Kind of like it makes it feel like home here. And then listening to music. Like I love music so like it like whenever I have time, like my playlist literally would be like going from like EDM like English music to like Nepali, Bollywood, and everything so like that’s like crazy change. But like I have to like constantly feed that to myself just to like make me feel better. And then kinda like, it makes it feel like home, too. And then otherways would be just like watching, yeah, like documentaries, or like, like reading books. Yeah, I mean, just like you have to figure out like, whatever your interests are, and then figure out whatever it works the best for you. And at the end, just like not the same like tactics, not gonna work for everyone. So you just have to like kind of experiment around and see what works I mean. If you, if you are really struggling, then definitely reach out to other people and see like how like they have handle their homesickness, and also trying to find the community of like a people from your country out here at UCI helps a lot too. Especially in Denver. when I got there, I had like we had like a big international student orientation. And then, yeah, I was wearing like something a T-shirt, or something that had like a one of like the Nepali like it like a character. And all in the Nepali people just came up to me, and then we started like we’ve made a group, and then we kind of like stuck with each other till the end, like every time there was a festival like a Nepali festival we’ll get together like a cook together. Invite other people to join us and celebrate like at their my, kinda like little family away from home and definitely helped with my homesickness. So just like try to find your people around. And yeah, just keep in touch with the people that are out there, and that loves you.
Sanchi: I think I think one of my biggest points to get over home sickness is,I always made sure I kept in touch with my family back there. I always had time for them, and no matter how tired I was, I make sure you know what that’s the priority. I always prioritize them, and a few of my friends I mean, you cannot keep in touch with everyone, but I knew there were a few that I always wanted to keep in touch with. So we would get on a call, maybe like parents daily. But yeah, maybe with friends and everything once in a month, or something like that. So we would talk about old memories and everything. Another thing that I think helped me a lot, was all the festivals celebrating all the festivals together. So like we had all this Indian social club, or Indian Subcontinental Continental Club, or something like that. IC club at Irvine, and they would hold a few few festivities like Diwali celebration. It’s a whole celebration and some stuff like that, and we would always go, you know, dressed in our Indian traditional clothes and the not just my group. There’ll be a whole lot of people that will all Bollywood music. Everyone’s singing, dancing, talking in the languages, you know, even if you don’t understand them, because India has much cultural. But even if you don’t understand them, just hearing those words make it make it look so nice. Often when I’m like, really, really low and I’m very like, you know, I’m missing home, and I don’t know what to do. Usually my friends like I, I have a small friends, who we are very close, small like. It’s more like a family now. So we would you know they would come to know about it, and they would cook my comfort food like daal, lentils and do rice or something like that. And then we would sit and watch some nice. So Bollywood movies like,(transcript unavailable) So all these movies. They do like you always have memories, that like comfort, movies, comfort food your there sitting in your sofawith the blanket and then you’re watching Big Bang Theory with your friends. So I think that’s what helped me you know. Also, knowing that I’ll now have a new family. You know people who still love me a lot will be there for me, no matter who look after you. I think that’s that’s how I kind of get, get over my home sickness.
Aimee: Yeah, I think a big one. Yeah. You both mentioned sharing your culture with other people, and especially if you maybe haven’t met a group of people here from your culture. Majority of our students come from cultures where there’s lots of other people from the similar culture. But it is possible that maybe you’re from a more unique place, and you have a hard time finding someone here that understand your culture, being able to share it with other people. teaches them something, but it also makes you feel like someone cares about you, and you have a community here that’s interested in, who you are and where you come from and learning more about you and I think it’s there are so many people open to trying new foods, and maybe even helping you make something that they’ve never made before. And so I always encourage people to get out there and and meet other students especially other international students, maybe who are understanding of that experience. So just because someone is maybe from a different culture doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t understand what it’s like to deal with homesickness or culture shock, or not being able to go home for holidays, or having to take a test on a holiday for you, that’s not a holiday that’s celebrated here in the U.S. very commonly. So I think those things can. It’s definitely nice to be able to sit down with someone else who really gets that experience. So that was our last question. Is there any last things either of you want to add?
Roman: Like my last words of advice would be like. it’s gonna be all fine. It’s a process. It’s lots of work. But at the same time, like like you’re just, gonna be like, a very different person. You’re gonna grow a lot professionally, like socially, emotionally and everything. And yeah, with like every struggle like, the benefit is going to be out there being an international student.
Sanchi: That’s true, I think you know, coming here, changing countries like continents and everything. We have this fear and anxiety. There’s a lot of pressure, but you just give it time. You don’t always have to take the big steps suddenly. Take a day by day. Baby steps. Do one thing at a time, you know. Always be like, you know, you should always encourage yourself. Okay. You know what I accomplished this good job. I never did it before. I did it now. Yay, celebrate small things, and just like surround yourself with people, then be positive it’s gonna work out. You’ve got this. It’s it’s gonna work out. Just have faith in yourself.
Aimee: Yeah. Well, thank you both for joining us today and talking about your first experiences here and helping students prep. I think this is a great conversation for a realistic expectation on what it will be like to be here in the U.S.. So I appreciate you both sharing with us. And we look forward to having additional podcast for you, all in the future.
Sanchi: Sure. glad to be here. Bye.