. uaiiiro Men sung /uvh
New international students
cope with scary transition
By Brian Sharp
Staff Reporter
Home was 10,000 miles away.
In the movies, he had seen Los
Angeles, New York. Images of the big
city, with busy streets, bright lights
and people everywhere were his Amer
ica.
Boon Lee Lim had never seen Lin
coln, Nebraska. He was an industrial
engineering major from College of
Damansara Ugama in Selangor, 15
miles away from Maylasia’s capitol,
home to more than 1 mill ion people—
four times that of Lincoln. Lim had
seen the big city, and this definitely
wasn’t it.
There were 100 UNL students from
Malaysia when he arrived that sum
mer. Out of25,000, that wasn’t many
— and none of them were family.
Still, Lim was dealing with it.
Homesickness wasn’t plaguing him
the way it does some international
students.The only distance he was
feeling was time.
When he should have been think
ing about going to class or getting
lunch, he was ready for bed.
Lincoln’s 11 a.m. is Malaysia’s
midnight.
In terms of culture shock, Lim ex
Kerienced little. After a few months,
e was comfortable speaking English.
It helped that he had a support group,
though small, already in place to help
case the transition.
Not all foreign students have that.
In some ways that can be a good
thing. Lim said people tended to be
less independent when there was more
support. By forcing students to be on
their own, they may actually learn
more about their new world, he said.
But many of the international stu
dents are shy, he said. Having some
support at first can help ease the tran
sition and clear some of the confusion.
That’s where International Affairs
and other international student groups
come in. And that’s where Lim is
now. Lim, a graduate student special
izing in industrial management, acts
as one of 15 peer advisors for new
international students.
He describes his job as both mentor
and family. Each advisor works with
about 10 foreign students, answering
questions and helping with problems.
Mary Swoboda, a counselor at the
University Health Center (UHC), said
the fact that foreign students couldn’t
just get in their car and go see parents,
family or friends only added to the
stresses of their first year at UNL.
The Health Center rarely sees the
results of that added stress, however.
UHC records show that last year, only
59 international students used the
counseling and psychological servic
es. Most foreign students are used to
relying on family and friends she said,
and they try and find that at UNL.
But when the stress gets to be too
much, the students health can suffer.
UHC Medical Director Russell
LaBeau said anxiety had a lot to do
with all illnesses. Many symptoms
related to culture shock were head
aches, stomachaches and other gastro
intestinal problems, he said. Unless
dealt with, however, the anxiety per
sists and the student can become sick
er.
ueneratiy, it wears on over time,
he said. Once students realize they’re
fitting in and everything is going to be
okay, they’re less fearful, he said, and
less anxious.
Most international students will
only spend a year and a half to two
years m the united States before re
turning home. Judy Wendorff, inter
national student advisor, said 80 per
cent of all foreign students went back
to their country. Usually, because the
job market back home was much better.
If they choose, students can stay on
for a year or more and get practical
experience, working anywhere in the
United States. Most, however, do not,
she said.
Lim will not stay.
In a year, he hopes to graduate with
his masters and return to Malaysia.
The job market there is good he said,
and he should have his pick of jobs.
It keeps
more than
memories
alive.
American Heart
Association^^
This space provided as a public service.
©1993, American Heart Association
_
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