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People from around the globe leave their home to attend college at Grand View University. Some of them manage to adapt and succeed academically and socially while others have difficulties with this adjustment. The beginning of college is already a significant change in people’s lives, and the fact that international students make this change in another country makes it even more radical. Language, distance from family and friends, culture and climate are some of the difficulties that every international student faces when deciding to study away from home. Despite these difficulties, many international students have found a way to survive and even thrive. Viewfinder asked international students to share the difficulties they have faced since they arrived here, the best moments of university life abroad and advice for new international students.

Isaac Kam

Isaac Kam is a 21-year-old international student-athlete from Hong Kong, who arrived at GV in the fall of 2019 to study political science and play soccer. He has been living far from his parents and friends for more than eight months. Kam always wanted to live in the United States because of his identification with the English language. Although he grew up in Hong Kong, his first language is not Cantonese, like most residents, but English because he grew up attending an English school. Despite his attraction to the country, Kam said the transition to the United States was shocking because of the cultural differences and, especially, the food.

“It wasn’t easy at first, but I feel like I got used to it really quickly, and I’m really happy here,” Kam said.

By living away from his parents for the first time, Kam has become more mature and independent. In Hong Kong, he said, he never had to wash his clothes or cook his own food, and now he needs to incorporate that into his daily life. He said this is a step toward adulthood. Academics have not been challenging for Kam so far, and he said the biggest difficulty for him is having to get up in the morning to go to class after going to bed late.

“Because I’m a freshman, a lot of the classes I’m taking are like beginner’s level,” Kam said. So I haven’t found anything too difficult as of yet, but I prefer if there is some of a challenge so that I can step out of my comfort zone.”

Among the things that helped Kam to adapt to this new environment are the new friendships made in the classroom and on the soccer field. He also appreciates how easy it is to communicate with his teachers when he has a question or difficulty with a task.

“I feel like they are really willing to help students achieve what they want to achieve, and I feel like they enjoy doing it,” Kam said.

Kam has been enjoying his time at GV, and his advice for new international students is to choose friendship groups wisely and not be afraid to leave the comfort zone.

“You came here to better your education and take your sport to the next level, and if you surround yourself with people who aren’t going to help you achieve that, then what is the point of being here at all,” Kam said.

Alessandro Venditti

Alessandro Venditti is an international student and soccer player from South Africa. He first arrived at GV in the fall of 2017 when he was 18 years old. His transition to the U.S. was difficult in the beginning because he was not used to being far away from his family, but his relationship with teammates made it easier for him to adapt.

“My teammates helped me a lot to feel comfortable in the new environment,” Venditti said. “I was able to make a lot of friendship quick, and they became my family here.”

Since coming to GV, Venditti has become a lot more independent and mature. He said one of the reasons why he came to another country, far away from his family, is to grow as a person and experience new cultures.

“It was hard coming to a new place, where I didn’t know anybody, where I have no family,” Venditti said. “But I wanted the challenge, and I don’t regret (it). I am grateful for the opportunity to come to another country and meet people from all over the world.”

The main challenge for Venditti when adapting to his new home was the cultural change. Venditti said people here are different because they are not as communicative as people in South Africa. The food and weather are also big changes for him; however, he was prepared for that change and is willing to learn from new perspectives. Academically, Venditti was always comfortable at GV. He said he found it easier to pass classes here than back home, and he has been able to keep good grades so far. Soccer is the main reason why Venditti came to the United States, and his teammates and coaches are who better helped him to adapt to this new environment.

“Soccer is my life; the soccer field is where I feel happy,” Venditti said. “But not only that, the friends that soccer has given me is the best part. We spend so much time together that we became a family. Even though we have people from all over the world in the team, we all have a lot of things in common.”

Besides Venditti, there is one other person from South Africa at GV, named Tyler Smith, and they have a close relationship. Venditti said they first met because they are from the same country and wanted to get to know each other better. Despite not having a lot in common, they got along right away. 

“Tyler and I are very different; we like and do different things,” Vendittis said. “But, surprisingly, we kind of got into each other’s hobbies, and we have a great relationship. We would probably not be friends back home because of our different lifestyle.”

Venditti said it’s important for new international students to be mature and ready for a culture shock if they want to start a college life overseas. Homesickness is real, but the bigger challenge is to be responsible enough to control your life without the presence of your parents or loved ones.