By Aicha Sawaneh / The Jambar
After traveling thousands of miles, I stepped off the plane feeling a mix of anxiety and excitement
My best friend Nekian, my brother Imran and I were excited to study at Youngstown State University. I was ready to embrace the college experience and American culture. As I stared at the unfamiliar skies, I realized I had no idea what to expect.
Culture shock caught me off guard. For example, a girl asked me if I had an elephant back home or if we had electricity — those questions left me perplexed.
The first and most immediate challenge I faced was adjusting to the college lifestyle and classroom dynamics. In the United States, I quickly realized the professors and teachers were more relaxed than I was used to.
Professors encourage us to speak up and sometimes even expect us to challenge their ideas. This was a stark contrast to the more formal, hierarchical education system I was used to, and it took me a while to find my voice.
Outside of academics, I had to learn a new social landscape. Making friends was never easy for me, but being an international student made it 10 times harder. I felt overwhelmed trying to fit in.
I am forever grateful to Nekian for bringing me to campus events during my freshman year, which let me meet all my amazing friends.
One of those friends, Praise Nwagu, wanted to help incoming African students connect with the existing international student community, so we decided to form a student organization called the African and Caribbean Student Union.
The friends and community I have now are more than what I ever expected or wanted from my college experience. Joining different student organizations helped me break through my initial shyness and find a group of friends who shared similar interests, even though we came from different backgrounds and parts of the world.
Initially, I gravitated toward other international students because we shared the common experience of being outsiders in a foreign land. But over time, I began to make connections with American students too, which helped me understand more about their culture.
The International Programs Office was my lifeline, offering workshops on everything from managing and maintaining our visas to coping with cultural differences.
Trust me, living 9,253 miles away from everything you know is not easy, but living abroad has made me more independent, appreciative and open-minded. It is not only about adapting to a new culture, it’s about learning to see the world from a whole different perspective.
For international students, college life is not just about classes and parties, it’s also about navigating a new world. We are constantly learning, not just in the classroom but with every interaction.
While being away from home has its challenges, this experience has helped me open my eyes to new possibilities, perspectives and opportunities that I would have never thought of if I hadn’t taken this journey.