Bitter-sweet Thanksgivings and Goodbyes

International Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving means the end.

When the Halloween costumes have been put in the boxes and the jack-o-lanterns have rotten, everything seems to be heading to the final. Supermarkets are filled with turkey, sweet potatoes and cranberries. Everybody's ready to be thankful. Two weeks after Thanksgiving, international students at the University of Richmond will return to their home countries and universities. They are going home and leaving one, too.
    Three months have passed since their American stay officially began. They have one more to go. Their expectations were diverse when they were coming, but they had something in common. They hoped to improve their English and to meet new people. They were both scared and excited.
    "I got on a plane and I thought,  'What the hell are you  doing?!,'" says Gabriela Arribillaga from Argentina. "'Four months is a lot of time. You will miss your home and the people.' But I didn't expect to find a huge and so nice group of people here."
   

International Girls (Photo by Laura Arnejo Barrenengoa)

International students spend almost all of their time together. They live together, eat together and study together in the 24/7 open library. For four months they become not just each other's friends but also family.
    "I have met people from all around the world during my stay at the UR," says Kaho Ha, a Business Administration major from Spain. "At the beginning I felt closer and more identified with people from Spanish-speaking countries, and it was easier to create relationships with them. As time went by, I got to know the other students better and believe we have become very good friends too."
    You are thrown in a small microcosmos within a big unknown and foreign world. It is natural you stick to something or someone you know at least a little better than the others.
    "The relationships here are much more intense," says Arribillaga. "You are in a different country on your own, you have no one you know there for you, so you get very close to people very fast."
Within this miniature multicultural world in the middle of Virginia, you can share common concerns, homesickness and glad-times. Two heads are better than one.
    Besides fast friendships, there is one more thing that feels exceptional to  international students living on the small campus of the University of Richmond. You are never alone. You live with one, two or three other people, usually internationals as well. You go to class, to lunch, to the library and to a party or watch a movie. And you do all of this in the presence of someone else. It is also hard to get off campus, internationals usually don't have a car.  And the absence of solitude is regarded both as positive and negative aspects of university life.
    "We are all the time together," says Alessandra Fumagalli from Milan, Italy. "There is always someone with you, you don't get lonely. Of course, I need some time for myself. Sometimes I just have a cigarette or coffee by myself. But most of the time I appreciate there is someone I can talk to or just be with. That is why I am a little afraid of going home. I am afraid of being lonely."
    One of the hard parts of becoming a part of the international community abroad is finding a way of being yourself in a foreign environment. Sometimes because of lack of language experience, sometimes because of the need to compromise to get on with such a big group of people.

International Boys (Photo by Laura Arnejo Barrenengoa)

    "Nobody here is themselves. At least not at the beginning," says Arribillaga. "I have a very strong and clean-cut personality. I have to think twice about what I say. You have to be more tolerant and think carefully before acting. The friends at home know you already, they are familiar with who you are, understand your jokes and behavior. At the start it takes some compromising especially because we come from different cultures all around the world."
      The about-to-return-home internationals are surprisingly uniform in their feelings about leaving their little international world in Richmond. They feel like they have just established firm relationships, gotten to know other people better and have to leave in a very short time. They describe their state of mind as awkward.  On the one hand looking forward to seeing their families and friends, but not wanting to leave the friends they have met here and might never see again.
    "I don't want to leave, because I know this might be my only experience abroad," says Fumagalli. "It's a period of my life I will always remember and I am sure I will miss the place and people a lot. On the other hand, I am looking forward to seeing my family and friends back home." 
    Some of the internationals are self-conscious about their return, afraid they might have changed and that trying to fit back in their circle of peers, once so natural and close, might be a little embarrassing now.
    "I think I might be a little lonely at the beginning," says Arribillaga. "And my friends might get annoyed, because I will be talking about my experience all the time."
 

The Farewell Reception

The three words "keep in touch" are common for all of them. The truth is that these days, in the time of e-mails, Skype and Facebook, long distance communication is much easier. On the other hand, once you return to your real life, the impressions and experience fade away.  It turns out to be more difficult than everybody thinks.
    "I hope to keep in touch with people, even though I know it is very difficult," comments Arribillaga. "I can imagine that at the beginning we will be on Facebook all the time, but after some time it will become difficult to stay in touch."
A Czech student, Pavel Hrbek, who has previous experience with studying abroad, agrees, "I have been abroad and I know how hard it is to keep in touch with people, even though you really want to. I will be sincerely happy if there is at least one person with which I will still be in contact a year after."
    Thanksgiving will not be a very happy time for the internationals. They definitely have a lot to be thankful for after their stay at the University of Richmond Most of them are planning to travel and experience a lot of adventures before they leave for home.  But they will have a bittersweet flavor.    
    "Don't get me wrong, I am really looking forward to going home," concludes Arribillaga. "But I would love to take all the internationals to Argentina with me."

It is (not) all About Politics

Will President Obama let the tax cuts for the wealthy expire, or will the Republicans be successful and have Bush's cuts extended? Christine O'Donnell, a Tea Party candidate, just won the Delaware Republican primary, to the surprise of the general public.  She defeated a political matador, Mike Castle. New York is having trouble transferring from mechanical to computerized voting machines.
    This is what we see in the news every day. Headlines are full of the upcoming midterm elections and almost everything that is connected to them. But what do ordinary people think? Are they interested in politics at all? What do students and workers at the University of Richmond know about campaigns in their home states?
    Kassie Pollard, a sophomore from Tennessee, is interested in politics and keeps in touch with what is going on in her home town of Nashville.  She was asked to help out with a local campaign. "It was supposed to be a governor’s campaign for Democrats, but I turned the offer down," says Pollard, and explains, "I am very moderate and I come from a Republican family. I think they asked me because I went to school in a mainly Democratic county, so they assumed I was a Democrat as well, but I wasn't."
Some campaign commercials have stayed with her.  “I remember seeing an ad for a Republican candidate who invited some of the local Christian artists to speak.  For me, as a Christian, it was very interesting.  I thought this person might have some Christian values and I started to watch him," she says.
    Her peer, Rose Wynn from Maryland, says she cares about politics, but doesn't consider it to be a large part of her regular conversation. She, on the other hand, comes from a Democratic family and also describes her personal political leaning as Democratic. 
"I think more seats will be taken by Republicans as opposed to the president," Wynn says.  "It also depends on how Obama well supports Democratic candidates."
On this point she’s in accord with Thad Williamson, a political scientist from Virginia. He assumes that the results of the mid-term elections will partly depend on how hard Barack Obama campaigns and how effective he will be. "I think Republicans will gain seats, the question is how many," Williamson says. "However, Democrats will keep a slender majority."
Another influential aspect, according to Williamson might be current economic news.
     We won’t know whether these predictions were right or wrong until November. What is clear now is that even if politics is not topic number one for students at the University of Richmond, they still have at least an approximate view of what is going on in the world of suits, ties and big speeches.  

Richmond Fruit Punch

I didn't want to go and couldn't wait to do it at the same time. The University of Richmond was supposed to be waiting for me, but was it really? I didn't want to leave my family, boyfriend and friends. On the other hand, this was what I had always wanted - traveling, meeting new people, getting in a challenging environment. I was standing over my empty suitcase and didn't know what to take with me. I was leaving the next day. Six hours to go. How do you pack to live four months of your life? My feelings were mixed up like a big bowl of fruit punch: apples for sadness, pineapple for excitement and peaches for confusion.     

I wake up at 9:30.  To be precise, I am woken up by the alarm clock. It has been two months since I last woke up in my bed in Prague, Czech Republic. My eyelashes are stuck together and don't seem to want to come apart. It’s time to go to class. I am not very aware of what clothes I put on and how my hair looks, since I went to sleep at 3 a.m. And I don't even care. There is always some work to be done at the University of Richmond.  Everybody is busy and tired. The loads of work during the semester are mind-bending compared to what I have been used to from my home university.

The Boatwright Library (Photo by Pavel Hrbek)

    What strikes you first while entering class at University of Richmond is the number of class enrollment.  There are never more than 20 people in class, usually from 10 to 15.  And the attitude is different, both students’ and professors’.  The students are very competitive and hard-working, each of them wants to be the best and they participate a lot in the class. Professors encourage this behavior by initiating discussion and making students react to what they have learnt. The approach could be called “keep students busy.” . But on the other hand they are always there to help you and no question is considered stupid.
    Regular class assignments include readings, writing of papers and articles and doing projects and presentations. Even though I complain a lot about the amount of work we get, I appreciate the feeling that I actually am learning something.

The D-Hall

  While walking from class to Dining Hall, which everybody calls simply D-Hall, I don't admire the brick gothic buildings all around or the beautiful lake in the middle of the campus. It has become too familiar, an everyday routine. I remember seeing this fairy-tale, calm environment for the first time.  I was riding around in a cab that brought me from the airport with a driver who spoke worse English than I did, which made me very comfortable.  I felt like Harry Potter entering Hogwarts for the first time.
    Some people say that the food in D-Hall is not good, but in fact it is like a five-star hotel. There are amazing choices starting with hamburgers, a huge salad bar and about 10 different kinds of desserts. It is a huge meeting place. The International students occupy one long table. If you come there almost any time of the day, there is someone there who you can eat with. This coin has two sides -- you never have to eat alone, but you never have privacy either.

The International Table

The international students hang out with each other most of the time. We know some Americans from classes, but they rarely become our friends. Maybe it is because they already have their own friends, maybe because they know we are going to leave soon anyway, maybe they are not interested in people with different accents and cultural backgrounds.  I was a little upset about it at the beginning, because I really had not had to come to the U.S .to meet 20 Spanish, 12 Italian and 5 Danish people.  But as time went by I made so many friends from so many countries in the world, that I do not mind the fact that I don't know many Americans anymore.
     
    My suitcase was half full. Or half empty? Three hours to go. I couldn't even remember why I had wanted to go there. Do I really need so many shirts? What is the weather like there? Everybody in the house was sleeping.  It was very quiet.  Scary quiet.  Uncertain quiet that smells like peaches.

  

The Boatwright Library at night (Photo by Pavel Hrbek)

We spend our afternoons, evenings and nights in the library. Actually, we spend our lives there. The fact is that when you are looking for someone you are most likely to find him in the library. The library is open 24 hours a day. One day I was in the library, talking on Skype to my friend from the Czech Republic, which is six hours of time difference from Richmond. She went to bed and when she got up and signed up to Skype again, I was still in the library. We spend so much time there, because of the amount of work we have to do, but also because of the fact that the Boatwright Library is amazingly equipped.  It also offers places and opportunities to relax besides the study environment.
   The most stunning thing about the library for me and the other internationals is that you can drink and eat in there. That is unthinkable at home. It even has its own cafeteria on the ground floor. When it gets late, you see people with cups of coffee everywhere. And when it gets really late, usually about 2 a.m., and people are overworked and tired, that is when the best library stories happen. The most times when I was roaring with laughter at the UR were in the library, revealing the stress and tiredness.
 

Paper cups everywhere (Photo by Pavel Hrbek)

  It seems that nothing is impossible at the University of Richmond. And nothing is ever a problem. You get free newspapers, printing or laundry. If something breaks, like your bike or computer, they repair it for you for free. You can get help with your papers in the writing center or with your psychological struggles in the psychological center.  The gym is the best gym I have ever visited in my life.   The service and care here is perfect. Apart from keeping the students busy, they also try to keep them happy.
    University life in the US is different to the one in Europe. The campus of the UR is a big complex of class buildings, dorms, apartments, common buildings, gym, library, dining hall and many others. It is more like a little town than a school. It also has its own post office, health center and police station. Living on campus creates a nice and warm atmosphere of home as well as school spirit. On the other hand, some people call it a golden cage. We live in our own little universe separated from the outside world.
 

The Richmond Capitol

It is also hard to get in the city, even though it is not very far, just about 15 minutes drive.  If you don't have a car in the U.S., you are in trouble.  Everything is relatively far and the conditions are not much conformed to pedestrians. Even though the university runs regular shuttles to shopping areas and downtown as another part of great service for students, sometimes it is uncomfortable. You have to go certain times and days. If you really need to buy something on Sunday, you have to wait till Tuesday, because the shuttle does not go until then.
   
    An hour to go.  At the airport. I said the last goodbyes and set off for the trip. I finish the apples and get ready for pineapple. Richmond, here I come.

    The University of Richmond is a demanding but amazing place to stay. People are very warm and nice. The environment is homey as well as challenging. Most of the international students are staying for one semester. It is soon going to be over and it has not been enough. I hate the quantity of work we have to do, the lack of free time and the fact that you always have some assignment or test ahead. But when the time comes, it is going to be heartbreaking to say goodbye.

Hockey-Mom in the Skin of Political Celebrity

Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

 

Outspoken.  Energizing.  Nitwit.  Family.  Brash and Republican.
These are some of the words used to describe Sarah Palin, the woman who came on the American political scene faster than a Lamborghini prototype. She built her career on her image, clear-cut conservative views and the use of social media. The former Alaska governor and John McCain’s running mate from 2008 presidential campaign was also Miss Wasilla 1984. She evokes diverse reactions. She knows how to turn people on. 

Sarah Palin is everything but mediocre.
“Palin’s husband and children played a role in giving her the image of being a politician and a family person,” says Leslie Crudele, a student at the University of Richmond. “As the Republican Party always emphasizes ‘family values,’ having the image of the perfect American family was very important to her campaign.” 
The Palins have been doing everything to look like one big happy family, Sarah Palin, like the prototypical “hockey-mom” has been in charge.  It is easy for the public to relate to them. What made this condition even truer was when Palin’s teenage daughter’s pregnancy became public.
“Teen pregnancy is a common problem many American families face. And, as a conservative who supports pro-life, the fact that she was practicing what she preaches ignited the conservative base of the GOP,” notes Brian Milosavljevic who does support and testing at The Voter Activation Network.
Palin presents herself as normal woman with traditional values but in modern wrapping. She uses modern technologies to communicate with her masses.  Facebook and Twitter are her main means of communication with public and media.  She shares and people listen.
“It looks like Palin’s use of social media has been very effective so far,” says Tomas Kristlik, an American Studies graduate from Charles University in Prague. “This strategy is satisfactory on the local or primary level, but if she wants to go further, for example for the presidential campaign in 2012, she will, sooner or later, have to accept a more traditional approach and focus more on mainstream media.”
Since she resigned from her post of Alaska governor, Palin has not been to a significant political function, even though she has had a big influence on this year’s primaries as a backer of Tea Party candidates. Her next big battle and attempt to take up an important post might be the presidential elections.  Is Sarah Palin going to enter the GOP presidential primary?  Yes.  Is she going to become the next American president?  Probably not.  But for sure, there will be a lot of stir about Sarah Palin in 2012. She is aggressive, ambitious, visible, memorable, and she knows what she wants.
“Initially, due to her being a complete unknown, she had a great public image. I, a staunch liberal, even liked her as a person, albeit briefly,” admits Milosavljevic. “But as time went by, she quickly revealed that she was not very educated in domestic or foreign affairs and had no business having the opportunity to lead our country. Now a small percentage of people respect her and fewer think she can lead the country. For all intense and purposes, she is a celebrity, not a politician.”

We Were All Cute When We Were Little

Think about a story your parents like to tell about you. It might be one when you were very little or the most recent one. Is it hard? Think about it really well. Can't imagine anything? Try a little harder, everybody has one. It is either funny, or touching or embarrassing, sometimes all in one. Has anything come to mind? Good. And the story by any chance connected to food? Because, let's be honest, they usually are.
Mine takes me back 20 years ago, when I was two years old. We had a family party, it was right after lunch, everybody was sitting in the living room and chatting - my mom, dad, sister, grandma, uncle, aunt and cousins. And then there was a little angel - ME - sitting on the floor - blond, almost whitish curly hair, the sweetest smile and beautiful violet dress. I was eating yoghurt. And right in the moment when everyone stopped talking to watch me eat and contemplate how cute and beautiful I was, I spilled a drop of the yoghurt on the floor. And there I go, this heavenly little princess, who can barely speak, disappointed by her failure.
"Oh, fuck!" Comes right out of the tiny mouth leaving my grandma close to heart-attack and the rest of family frozen in astonishment.
My parents like this story a lot and tend to tell it anytime they become a little nostalgic. The story usually comes accompanied by teasing: "You were so little and cute then, look at you know!"
Haha, mom, very funny (I think when sarcastic tone floods my mind).
When I told my story Alessandra Fumaggali, it immediately reminded her of her own anecdote.
About food, of course.
"I have one, too," she blurted out: "I was five years old, when my parents took me to a beach. I was having cherries for snack and then suddenly I swallowed one with a pit and I started choking. I didn't know what to do and started panicking. My face turned all red and everything seemed to be happening really fast. And then my dad came to me with absolute calm and hit me once in my back. I immediately spit the stone out and everything started to move on its own pace again. Everybody started laughing including me. It probably doesn't sound very funny, but my parents love this story and I think it is because it reminds them of the times when I was little and they were taking care of me."
We might not like the stories our parents tell about us. They describe us as like helpless, tiresome or vulgar. But at the end of the story there always comes a nostalgic smile on their faces. Whether your story is about food or not, and whether it shows you in good light or not, your parents tell it, because they care about you. It is a strange way of saying "I love you.” So we should set our teeth and say: "Yes, mom and dad, I remember, this one. It was really funny!"
And skip the sarcasm.

The Study Abroad Fair - An International Race

3 PM
It began with a rubber band. Leaflets, postcards, posters and brochures of universities from all around the world tied together. It’s Wednesday, September 22 and the rubber bands have just been taken off, the materials set on marks on the tables, volunteers and workers of the Office of International Education (OIE) warmed up for the 2 hour race.
The Annual Study Abroad Fair at the University of Richmond (UR) was about to break out.
Crowds of contestants/students do not storm the doors of the Alice Haynes Room, the biggest conference space on campus. They stroll in gradually one by one. Tables are strewn all around the place, each carrying a tag with a name of the institution they are representing.
Some contestants hesitated as if they were thinking: "Where do I start?"
"We have the fair every year, roughly around this time," says Amy Bergman, Study Abroad Advisor from the OIE. "It is geared toward attracting students to look for their study abroad for the future. We invite exchange students to represent their own country and university. As well as passport students, US students who were abroad and came back. All of which we consider experts."
The University of Richmond has 23 year old tradition of international education and is proud of it tradition. It’s valued on campus and nationally. According to the UR web page, in 2007 Newsweek magazine ranked it: The hottest school in America. The university partners with about 70 institutions from over 30 countries. Some universities participate in the fair every year.
It only lasts for two hours but takes months of planning.
"We have to give our partners abroad enough time, so that they can see whether they will actually be able to come," explains Bergman. "For example this year the representative of university of Melbourne came all the way from Australia to attend our fair. It is very expensive for the partners to come here. When we don't have enough of them, we rely on our students to actually work at the tables."
About ten people from the Office of International Education organize the event. It is their responsibility to cover as many tables as possible, about 70% of tables this year. Students can’t always represent their universities because of classes or school duties.
But those who make it are enthusiastic and proud. "I decided to volunteer at the fair, because I think it is very important to have a witness of the place where you want to study," says Sara Caprioli, a business student from the Bocconi University in Milan. "Brochures are not sufficient to describe what you will find at the foreign university. I personally decided to come to Richmond based on what other Italian students told me about their experience here."
International education is a priority at UR the numbers speak for themselves. In fall 2010, there are 289 international scholars; 9 percent of the total undergraduate population. Conversely 260 UR students are studying abroad. The most popular countries to visit are Spain (with 40 students), followed by Italy (30), Denmark (22), Australia (21) and Scotland (18). On the other hand most international students studying at UR are from China (55), Spain (16) and UK (12).
The goal of the OIE is to send fewer than 10 students at a time to one institution. That’s to avoid students grouping with other students from their home universities, to make them meet new people and culture.
UR’s commitment to international education has led to new Carole Weinstein International Center. It opened in October and centralizes offices, classrooms, art galleries, conference room space and even has a cafeteria.
"It is meant to be a highlighting feature of the importance of international education at Richmond, since Richmond is very supportive of it," says Bergman on behalf of OIE. “It is a symbol of international spirit at UR"


4 PM
Halftime of the Study Abroad Fair. Music is creating a cozy atmosphere and students are already promenading through the room. They all have the the same aim – a search for futures.
But he fair is not the only source of information for those seeking foreign academic experience. The OIE also holds weekly information sessions and led by trained peer advisors. More information can be found on the web site.
But the fair is a unique opportunity to see all the universities in one place, compare them meet institution representatives. They can ask them directly about their school and country.
"The students were mostly interested in where in London Queen Mary is located, what departments were rated the best and whether QM had a wide range of courses to choose from," says Emma Qubain from Queen Mary, University of London.
Caprioli, the Italian business student, agrees: "They were interested in the courses, especially whether they were challenging or not. They wanted to know what the weather and night life were like in Italy and they were worried about the language."
Sarah Covington, a sophomore majoring in biology, is weighing options. "I am not sure, where I would like to go, yet," she admits while munching numerous leaflets in her hands. "But I am tending to a university in some English-speaking country with an interesting science program."
Selecting the desired destination might be the most important step, but is not the last one. After choosing a location, students have to fill in applications and other required materials.
"We review the applications," says Bergman. "We look at students' essays, their transcripts and at information from the application itself. We evaluate the GPA, whether it meets our partners' requirements. If the student has a border GPA, we look harder on their essay and recommendation. We can also check their language background and make sure they are a good match for the program, if language is a part of it. Sometimes we even look at their course background to see if they have good grades and experience in the field they want to study abroad."
Students can study abroad as many times as they want, provided they acquire half of their credits (17.5 units) on campus. Scholarships can be obtained for up to a year abroad. If the students want to spend more time at foreign institutions, they have to cover the expenses themselves. Students are permitted to study abroad beginning the fall term of their sophomore year. If they decide to do so, the fair is a good event to help them decide.
This year of the fair added new table decoration contest. Volunteer students were asked to bring their own decorations and materials to improve the design of their stands and visiting students could vote for their favorites. The University of Hong Kong and the one of University Blas Pascal from Argentina were big winners. The latter won the whole competition, partly because of enthusiasm and lobbying of one of its student representatives, Gabriela Arribillaga.
"We used traditional things from Argentina that we had with us," describes Arribillaga. "It was our flag, some sport jerseys, mate (a typical Argentinean drink) and some postcards with pictures from the most remarkable places in Argentina."
The Hong Kong tabled sported colorful leaflets sent by the university, pens with logo and students Eliza Zhai and Claire Shuo Sun who even bought traditional candies to woo the passers-by.
Small wonder they tried so hard: the grand prize, was a bag filled with hundred dollars worth of UR bookstore stuff.
"I liked the prize a lot," says Arribillaga, who shared her table and reward with her colleague from the Blas Pascal University Exequiel Rafaela. "There was a glass cup, a sweatshirt, a blanket, a cap and some candies."

5 PM
It ends with a rubber band. Different leaflets, postcards, posters and brochures of universities from all around the world are again re-bundled again. Materials have been collected from the tables. Volunteers and workers of the Office of International Education are cooling down. The two hour race is over
Until next year.

Songs, Poems, People and Emotions

It is strange how one song can initiate various feelings in different people. Our emotions are woken up by the seemingly inseparable pair of music and lyrics. Why seemingly, you ask yourself. Well, sometimes when you separate those two, you can get different mood of the song, sometimes one separated element of those two, can be even better than the complete version.

Karel Kryl

Bonnie Raitt

When I was about 15, I discovered for myself Czech folk singer Karel Kryl. But he was more than a singer to me, he was a poet. His lyrics were always very pregnant as well as sensitive. And when I was reading a book of his poems I did not realize there were also included lyrics of his songs. I fell in love with one of his poems, it was so decadent, sad and witty. I learnt this poem by heart. Except it turned out not to be a poem but a song. And of course it had some music to go with the lyrics as well. But I did not like the music at all, even though the mood of lyrics and music was congenial. Somehow, it was just too much to take. I considered this piece not to be a song, but much rather a poem. And I have not changed my mind since then.

Karel Kryl

Bonnie Raitt

I introduced another song called Standin' By the Same Old Love by American singer Bonnie Raitt to two of my peers. One of them only read the lyrics but did not hear the music, the other one heard the song in its entirety but did not see the lyrics written. Haley Jones, 18 year old first year student who read only the lyrics described the songs mood as "desperate and sad". She also noted that she would expect the music of the song to be slow. That was exactly what I personally thought, when I read the lyric. The other student, Laura Marani heard the song and described it as hopelessness and anguish of someone who is losing beloved person after a long relationship and does not want to let him go. And she described the mood to be desperate even though the song had pretty fast music, exact opposite than her peer Jones had imagined.
It is strange how a song can initiate various feelings in different people. It is strange how different parts of song can initiate same feelings in different people.

Living in the International Bubble

I like to say that I had to come all the way from Europe to the United States to meet 16 Spaniards, 12 British and 11 Italians.

As an international student at the University of Richmond I spend most of my time with other foreign students, almost never with Americans. Was I expecting something else when I was coming? Of course. Would I change it? Never!
International students are always the first students to arrive to the campus of the University of Richmond. We come a week before classes start and move into our rooms. Campus is empty and calm and the lake surface seems to be completely motionless. It gives us more space to start feeling like home.
We are followed by freshmen and then all the other students. The campus fills slowly at the beginning of fall semester. Internationals have time to settle in, adjust to campus and meet new people. During orientation week, we get to know most of the other internationals and start making friends. It is easy to bond during never-ending lectures on safety and rules of campus. However this coin has two sides. We create social relationships with people from all around the world except Americans. The international bubble within the University of Richmond is created.
Students study abroad for various reasons. They want to improve their language skills, become independent, meet new people and get to know the culture of a foreign country. And though the University of Richmond is well known for its study abroad program and its approach to people from other countries, it is hard for international students to integrate.
"I came to the United States mainly to improve my English," says Maria Goirigolzarri from Spain, "but it is hard since I spend most of my time with other Spanish students. I have to force myself to speak more English."
The biggest reason why the internationals spend most of their time together within their international group is simple: it is less difficult. At the beginning it was easier to talk to other internationals, to eat with them or chat in the library. We knew each other from orientation, during which we spent a lot of time together, and related to being new in a foreign country.
Internationals live together in dorms or apartments. Amy Bergman, study abroad advisor for the Office of International Education, says accommodation for foreign students is arranged after most of the rooms had been taken by American students and the internationals fill in the gaps. That’s understandable: domestic students hand in their applications earlier than the internationals.
"When I was filling in my housing application, I wrote there that I did not want to live with another Spaniard in terms of improving my English," describes Goirigolzarri. “I don’t live with a Spaniard, but with an Argentinean and an Italian who both speak Spanish fluently,” she laughs.
Socializing with other foreign students is also a matter of common interests. We travel around Richmond as well as the US, spend holidays together and share new cultural experience. We help each other with homework and meet for meals. Internationals are always the last ones in the dining hall: most of us eat much later than Americans. We come at 7:30, when almost everybody else is gone. And we stay until a D-Hall employee kicks us out. We never understand what he shouts with his foggy voice towards our table, but we have figured out that it is probably time to go.
At first most of the students considered it a problem not being completely involved in American culture. Some have been forcing themselves to spend more time with Americans. But views changed as time went by and the relationships deepened.
"I spend most of my time with the internationals," says Veronica Giacomello, an Italian who majors in English. "I think our group is great. We all know each other and it is easier to share our problems, because we are going through the same experience. I had been a little sad about not knowing many American people at the beginning, but then I realized that I know people from all around the world. I like my life here as an international student."
Of course none of the international students are completely isolated. We all know Americans from classes, sport clubs or different organizations. And even though Americans are usually nice and willing to help if needed, they do not socialize or spend much of free time together with us. Americans in relation to the internationals remain acquaintances rather than friends.
“I think some of them show interest in international students and enjoy talking to us,” says Juan Maigler, a Spanish senior majoring in translation and interpreting. “But just few engage in something more than a routine conversation.”
None of the people I have talked to seem markedly disappointed with the situation. They admit their expectations were different and that they imagined they would make more American friends, but they understand why it is that way. They like their life in Richmond the way it is.
“I think we do live in an international bubble,” admits Maigler. “But I do not necessarily consider it to be negative. I enjoy talking to people no matter what their background is. I think we meet a lot of Americans, but they already have their own lives to live and do not pay attention to things that we do. And I completely understand it.”
Giacomello agrees: “They already have their friends, sports and interests. They don’t need international friends, unless they are interested in international topics such as language or international studies.”
International students of University of Richmond do not feel segregated. A lot of different social events have been organized for us and we actively participate in UR social life like games, parties and performances.
“International culture is tolerated but not integrated completely,” says Giacomello. “For example, there are still groups of black people, Chinese people or Spanish people sitting at different tables in THE dining hall. However I don’t think this is a problem. I think it is enough to accept and tolerate each other. Efficient society can have various groups of people that work together when it is necessary.”
An international bubble exists for foreign students at the University of Richmond. However, it is a very thin and transparent bubble with little holes through which cultural influences bubble like osmosis. The internationals live within the bubble, and outside of it.
And most importantly of all, we love it.

Studying Abroad - Expectations vs. Duties

The University of Richmond (UR) is a private university in the heart of Virginia, a state where
American history was being made at its very beginning. It is placed in the middle of a beautiful campus, full of trees, green fields and traditional Virginian brick buildings.
Campuses like this one are rare in Europe. University buildings are usually spread around the city, so that dormitories, library and class buildings are not in one place. Students very often commute to school. European universities are old institutions, mostly funded in medieval times and built in the city center. There usually is no place for campus of American style, because the place around the university is already taken. That is why campus is the thing that strikes foreign students first when they come to UR.
UR founded in 1830 has a very rich history period looks, but its approach to education is rather modern which can be illustrated by a rich international program this university possesses.
Many of the UR foreign students are Europeans. They arrive with expectations of exploring a
different educational system from the one they follow in Europe. They want to meet new people, come to know another culture, achieve a different point of view in their fields and to acquire new perspectives.
“ I have been looking for a different experience and it has been incredibly different so far,” says Judith Ziarrusta a Spanish psychology student at the University Deusto.
The semester started three weeks ago and, studying at the UR (and in America) has been a new experience for this year’s exchange students. The first week was dedicated to International Orientation and opening classes. The new international students learned what it is like to be a UR student and what are their opportunities as well as responsibilities.
“The first three weeks were great. Meeting new interesting people, getting to know each other, getting familiar with the campus and learning about the rules and duties we will have to meet,” says Pavel Hrbek, economics student from the Czech Republic: ”Then it was of course the first time in a class where I was full of expectation, paying attention to every word the professor says, trying to figure out whether that particular class will be the harder one or not. Then the first assignments came and the smile I always have on my face started to be a little more bitter.”
Hrbek majors in finance. He’s studied in Spain and the United States before, so he’s actually not surprised by the amount of schoolwork. But some of the students with no knowledge of American educational system have been shocked during their first weeks at the University of Richmond.
Allesandra Fumaggali, an Italian who studies business at the Bocconi University in Milan, was surprised how demanding American classes are: “The way of studying here is very difficult for me. In Italy we do not have much work during the semester, but we have to do a lot of work for the final exam.”
Most of European students concur. The higher education system in the United States is of different structure. It emphasizes on ongoing semester work, while in Europe you are demanded to do most of your assignments at the end of term. “In Europe, you are not overwhelmed with assignments,” confirms Pavel. “You have duties but it is not on daily basis. And sometimes it doesn't matter whether you attend the class or not, because it is your responsibility and stupidity if you don't."
Even though international students have problems adapting to the excessive study load, and long hours in the library, they see both sides of the coin.
"Despite having almost no free time," says Sara Caprioli an Italian classmate of Alessandra
Fumaggali: "I like this way of studying. I think it’s more interesting and efficient and you can deepen your long-lasting knowledge a lot.”
The differences in academic approach is not just the assigned work, but also in activities
students are expected to do both in and outside the class. Discussion sustains education. Debate over various topics allows students to explore other points of view and ideas and to respect them. Classes in European universities have high enrollment and that makes academic discussion almost impossible.
The average size of UR class is 16 students. Professors strongly encouraged students to speak up in in class and the participation is usually part of the final grade.

“We almost never have discussion in class in Italy. There are about 120 people in class and we don’t have the space to talk,” says Caprioli and Jessie Pascarelli , a U.S. national and UR senior confirms this. Pascarelli studied abroad at the Galway University of Ireland last year.
“What I missed the most in at Galway was the one-on-one connection with the professor. In the United States professors are trying to engage students in the discussion in order to further their education and not just dump knowledge on them and say: ’ Go, do something with it!’ The attitude of professors is the biggest difference I have encountered during my stay abroad.”
European students appreciate the open class conversations. And the emphasis on practical skills, applying theory and knowledge.
“Here the education is much more pragmatic and in Europe it is more deep, but also more
theoretical. People are more ready for real world and their career than in Spain," says Judith Ziarrusta, who has also attended a U.S. high school. She spent her junior high school in Colorado.
“The link between university and real world is what I miss at home,” echoes, Jone Garcia, from the University of Deusto in Spain: “The education is much more practical here .
European students often remark the helpful and open attitude of American professors and appreciate their encouragement. This might be influenced by the general American grain, that people try to be helpful and nice.
But Pavel Hrbek offers another explanation, typical for a finance major, "What I miss at my home university in the Czech Republic is the enthusiasm and energy that the professors have here in the United States. And I think the biggest incentive for this is money. Back home professors don't get paid very well. And I also think that money influences the attitude of students. Here families have to pay a lot of money for their kids to go to university and students take their studies more seriously then. While back home most of the schools are public, studies are free and so that students are not so motivated. I would like to pay for education back home, I believe it would increase its quality”
However motivation is not the only thing Europeans are concerned about while confronted with American students. They often mention their competitiveness and assertiveness.
“People are more competitive here than in Italy,” says Fumaggali, frowning. “They are more individualistic. Even though they are very nice and friendly outside the class, when they enter the door of a classroom, they just sometimes don’t even say ‘Hi‘. I also sometimes experience difficulties because of that when working in a team. The American students don’t always listen to me, because they think I don’t understand them, just because I can not express myself as fast as they do. That way I can not get involved properly.”
In Europe, a system called the Bologna Process has been developing since the late 1990’s. This
means that European countries are trying to specialize their systems of education, evaluation and degrees, so that education will be more compatible thorough whole Europe.
“I think that the Bologna process is going to be a good thing for European education, “ says Garcia. “It is going to allow us to have more global market. We will be able to go anywhere to work, because my studies will be recognized there. It might also bring us closer to American model of studies and allow us to draw the good principles it has to offer,” thinks Garcia.
Hrbek is a bit more skeptical: “ I think it is a great idea, but only if they really manage to keep
the exams in different countries on the same level. Because from my study experience in Spain I wouldn't say that the level is comparable and that the hard work is rewarded the same way."
A goal of the Bologna process is to develop compatibility of European and American education and degrees and intermediation of easier and more enriching thematic discourse between these two cultures. That’s basically the objective of studying abroad.
The difference in American educational culture is not just in the classroom. Housing and social life at is very different from home.
"University Deusto has just the building, where classes are held, then the library and cafeteria,” says Garcia. ." Students live either in dormitories or at home, the dorms, however, are usually not on the campus.”
“They did not have any on campus housing in Ireland," the American, Pascarelli, offers her perspective. "That was a very big difference for me. We had to live either in housing complexes reserved for students or hire an apartment in the city. I personally lived in an apartment with other American exchange students."
Given that campuses are rare thing in Europe, it is not surprising, that European scholars don't live in such close community like in the United States. They do not have fraternities or sororities, student clubs and organizations are rather uncommon as well as curriculum activities. University pride and spirit is not supported in Europe. There is almost no varsity sport.

Photo by Pavel Hrbek

When the international students arrived in Richmond, trees were green and the air was humid and heavy, it was a southern summer at its peak. The Europeans had many expectations and few duties.
Now the fall is coming. Soon trees across campus will turn red. Students will trade flip-flops for sneakers. Their expectations will suddenly be overwhelmed by duties. Even though they complain about hard work, you can see a little sparkle in their eyes, which very clearly says they might not be used to continuous work, but they appreciate what it is bringing to them.
International students are here to upgrade their knowledge and experiences. When Christmas comes and the University of Richmond and the formerly green and red trees might will be white with snow, they will end their stay.