International student finds good things in translation
By Matt Anderson, Blogger
October 1, 2007 | 10:17 p.m.
The old wooden floorboards in McKee House creak like swaying swings. International graduate student Adam Chen and I hear the footsteps above our heads in his downstairs office, his home away from home while he studies abroad at Ohio University.
The walls are bare and white. “I haven’t had the time to decorate the office yet,” Chen said.
Chen, who earned his undergraduate degree in German and is now going for his master’s degree in Linguistics, works in one of four cubicles in McKee’s bottom floor office area. He mainly answers the many e-mail questions he receives daily from international students around the world who want to know what Ohio University can offer them in both education and assistantship.
“I recruit international students as well as help organize international alumni,” he said.
Born in Jinan, China, Chen spent most of his life in the northeastern part of the country. He attended boarding school in Jinan, which is about three hours south of the nation’s capital, Beijing. After graduating from boarding school, Chen moved down to Guangzhou, China, a city a little more than an hour away from Hong Kong, where he began his undergraduate studies in German.
“I went home about two times a year, so I got used to being away from home,” he said.
When he left Guangzhou for his international studies, he had chosen Ohio University as the next chapter of his graduate education. “The pace is faster here [in America], and I want to be involved in that,” Chen said. “The pace of life is a challenge. It is faster for the graduate life than it is for the undergraduate life. It’s hard to say if I’m fully adapted yet. You really have to spend some time adjusting.”
However, Chen does not feel like he is alone. “[The international staff really gives you help when you need help,” he said. “As an international student, you have to take care of your own studies as well as your own life.”
His days are made up of daily regiments that he follows to stay on top of things, from work and class to eating and reading. A routine, he said, most graduate students can relate to.
Chen also said that it is often hard for him to find the time to meet other students, but he tries to stay away from hanging out with only his fellow Chinese colleagues. “If you just always meet people from your home country, you begin to have to rely on them,” he said. “I’m the type of person who is more independent.”
Before coming to America, Chen had his preconceived notions of the country. “When you ask Chinese people what their impressions of the U.S. are first they’ll tell you that [the U.S.] is economically strong, that there are great opportunities and that the people are nice,” Chen said. “Oh yeah,” he added chuckling, “and consumption.”
For him, all of that proved true. “The educational resource is great here,” Chen said. “It is impressive for us. People here are ready to help. I think a lot of U.S. people are quite nice.” However, not all of Chen’s impressions on America are the best. “It seems that people consume what they don’t need,” he said. He argued, however, that it is the same for a lot of countries, including his own.
Making sure to check both U.S. and Chinese news every day, Chen has found a profound difference between American and Chinese news consumption. He said that the U.S. media is very overwhelming, giving you “information whether it’s good or bad, whether you need it or not.” In some ways he finds it a good thing though. “Freedom to talk is a good, important factor,” he said.
A big fan of popular American culture, Chen loves television shows like “Prison Break,” “Lost” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” He can also be caught listening to pop and classical music, including musicians from Germany and France. “Just no rock and roll,” Chen added smiling.
For only being in Athens for a short amount of time, Chen has already been able to come up with tips for those new to the college experience, international or native, grad or undergrad. “The first thing I’d say is study hard. When you study hard, you have good opportunities. Secondly, meet people. It’s what I’m trying to do. Meeting people gives you a chance to improve yourself,” he said. “Some people are polite, and some are also not so polite. You cannot always ask people around you to be nice to you. You never know who you’ll meet today. It could be good, it could be bad."
Chen then added something that can easily be directed to everyone on this campus, young and old: “Friends here impress me [because] of their attitude toward life. It influences me to be positive here. Meet people. Be open. Be prepared and be positive.”
The screen on Chen’s computer blackened into an idle stare, catching my attention and drawing my eye to the wall to the left of me. A bright red design made out of string stood out against the bone white wall. It is in fact a Chinese knot created out of only two pieces of string that are meticulously woven together to form a beautiful, intricate design. As a good luck symbol, it represents the woven connection of friends and family that charms one’s life.
At the time I asked about it, however, neither of us had a clue.
“God, what is that?” Chen asked himself, searching for the answer inside his mind. He finally gave in. “I forget. Let me look it up on Wikipedia.”
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