OUR STORIES

“Chinese have a very limited political view on things. So, if you want to show things like the views on political things … it definitely limits some of your self expression, because the platform will limit you to do that”

Self-expression

“if you want to color or cut your hair, it costs too much compared to my country“

One of the biggest shocks for me when experiencing American food is how Americans want everything to be sweet and sugary — even the foods that are not supposed to be: like bread, or bacon covered in maple syrup. The article Is America Too Sweet on Sugar? states that “Including refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners, the average American wolfs down 142 pounds a year, or roughly 2 ½ pound a week.” Thinking about how much that actually is, is crazy. What’s the point of eating bacon if you’re not even going to taste the bacon, but rather just the maple syrup?

Beauty

Food

When I would bring up that international students have different needs from domestic students — like adapting to the language, navigating social dynamics, and coping in a place without any resemblance to what we have grown up experiencing — I would often hear, “I don’t see any difference.” I wonder how that is possible when so many international students go through experiences like mine.

Assimilasian

Continuing higher study overseas has always been my dream, and I am not giving up that dream even after marriage and having a child. I am grateful that I can now live in that dream. Being an International Student Parent is not easy. However, with all the facilities and support around me, I think I can handle it.

Parenting

When I first came to America [from China], it was hard for me to understand that Americans drink ice water all year round. I can’t understand why drinking ice water all year round doesn’t make you cold.”

Culture

International students in American institutions bring financial benefits such as high revenue and cultural benefits such as increased involvement in STEM fields (Neuhauser) in classroom discussions. Yet, they are deprived of financial resources. Despite the contributions of these students, American institutions do not offer enough financial support to international students, in comparison to domestic students.

When I first came to America [from China], it was hard for me to understand that Americans drink ice water all year round. I can’t understand why drinking ice water all year round doesn’t make you cold.”

Finance

Community and Family Impact

For many international students, studying in the USA brings excitement about learning and living in a different culture. Some international students want to prepare by understanding what cultural difference they will encounter in the United States.

Traditions

Death is something that all living organisms never experience until the last day of their life. Due to this nature, understanding death and after death is something that provokes our curiosity, which further promotes discussions among groups of people such as family or religious groups.

Mortality and Spirituality

Social connections are the relationships you have with the people around you.

“I would say BU is pretty good because it’s a city like Boston and I think NYC and that might be it actually. I’m pretty good transportation systems, but Australia definitely had like many legs up on the United States”

Social Connection

Living in a New Country

“I get called the wrong name more often in the beginning of the year in almost every class. I remember in middle school, 1 teacher did not call me the correct name for the whole year,” said junior April Mao. “It was kind of funny but also a little sad because you would think that most people would change after you correct them a few times.”

Name Game

“I get called the wrong name more often in the beginning of the year in almost every class. I remember in middle school, 1 teacher did not call me the correct name for the whole year,” said junior April Mao. “It was kind of funny but also a little sad because you would think that most people would change after you correct them a few times.”

Sources of Political Beliefs

Share your story

All of us are Chinese, raised in different Chinese cities and furthering study in the U.S. university. We aware the problems that China had a late start at sex-education, fewer children had received sex education, and a lack of formal sexual-related lessons. To find the reasons behind these issues, we decided to approach this issue from both a qualitative and quantitative side.

Sex Education In China

Individual Stories:
Living and Studying in a Different Country

Connecting Through Media

Love Stories

Experience of Students of Color at PWIs

Parents and Childhood