By Fabio Barreto
For an international student, college life is different. From leaving home and arriving on campus to starting school, a lot changes happen in the blink of an eye. Adjusting to new weather, meeting new people, learning about American culture, and being away from the support of family are just a few of the challenges international students face. For many of foreign students, the first few weeks can be challenging, but they are also an important learning experience.
In my experience, coming from Brazil, some of the biggest adjustments have been the weather and the food. Brazil has a tropical weather, which means it is hot and every season feels like summer. Ohio has a funny weather, which I experienced in my first weeks here, from the start of August being very hot, to mid-September dropping almost 30 degrees.
The thing I miss the most is homemade food, especially from my parents. My mom’s lasagna to my father’s barbecue, you just can make that up! What surprised me at Defiance College, is the variety of food and the availability. You can order basically whatever you want at the Hive and get something at the grill with Uncle Don.
Adapting plays a big role in the international student experience, but the DC staff members and community – they make you feel at home. Going to school far from where you were born and grew up feels impossible at first, but having a strong and welcoming community makes it easier. The staff is always willing to help, make students feel welcome, and treat you like family. It feels like I have been here since freshman year.
Even with the challenges, I felt that I learned a lot just by being here. Especially, being for independent and learning how to genuinely be myself. New teammates, new classes and new campus makes us afraid and anxious about how the semester will go, but we learn how to be more confident in facing new scenarios, meeting new people and making friends; learning from new cultures and bringing our own, just makes it easier. For international students, it is not just college; it is a new chapter of life.