Coming to America
Essay Contest for International Students
The Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) honored six international students for their winning essays in the third annual “Coming to America” Essay Contest. The winners were announced at a reception held during International Education Week, Nov. 12-16, 2007.
Prizes were awarded for first, second and third place. Three students were also chosen to receive honorable mentions. Essays from 26 students were entered in the contest.
The following are excerpts from the six winning essays. Click here to read all of the essays in full.
1st Place Winner
Chan Hyeok Lee
Chan Hyeok Lee, South Korea
Undergraduate student in pre-business
Race and Identity
Although I was quite disappointed by the different aspects of the U.S., I convinced myself to be satisfied with experiencing such a different culture. Unfortunately, my disappointment was not all I had to face. A big fat monster —labeled as racism— had been lurking, ready to swallow the soul of this poor Asian boy. Unlike my other Korean friends who lived in the other states of the U.S., I had to overcome not only the difficulty of the language but also all the hardships related with racism. Even worse, during that year, I also went through adolescence, so the beginning of my foreign studying also actually meant the start of forming my identity.
2nd Place Winner
Lini Ge
Lini Ge, China
Graduate student in journalism
Embracing My “American Self”
“Soon you’ll become Americanized,” my best friend Zhiying said teasingly, just before I boarded the American Airlines aircraft at Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport. “You’ll be gulping down hamburgers and carrying a gun in your purse.”
“No way!” I shook my head, laughing. “America will never change me.”
But I was wrong.
3rd Place Winner
Katharina Mendoza
Katharina Mendoza, Philippines
Graduate student in women’s studies
Coming to America: A Pinay's Cartography
Ask me what I love about living here and I’ll say, “Driving.” I never tire of driving down the interstate, destination-less, especially in Iowa where there’s never more than a slight hill to obscure my view of the road ahead. It fascinates me to think that, if I chose to, I could drive from one end of this continent to the other. Maybe it’s because I come from the Philippines, a collection of tiny islands surrounded by water. I miss my archipelago home, but I also delight in the continuity, the miles and miles of road—metric system be damned!— that stretch out from either side of Iowa.
Honorable Mention
Soyang Kwon, South Korea
Graduate student in epidemiology
This is How America Works
If somebody bothers you by keeping calling you, you don’t have to make an effort to contact and argue with the person. Just call the police. If your neighbor makes a noise, you don’t have to come by the neighbor and ask them to be quiet. Just call the police. If a landlord does not return your deposit, you don’t have to make an effort to contact the landlord and ask to return your deposit. Just sue the landlord. The police will take care of you. The law will take care of you. That is the easiest way to solve the problem in the United State of America. That is the way America works.
Honorable Mention
Vanessa Moodley, South Africa
Undergraduate exchange student
Coming To America
Walking towards his house I noticed that none of these houses had fences around them and most had their doors wide open. We ate dinner on the porch after the sun had set without a fence around the house and with the door wide open. “Wow” was all I could think. I pray that the people of my country would soon find peace such as this. This experience together with the respect and value for life I see for each individual in this city keeps my hope alive for a better future for my country.
Honorable Mention
Lingyan Yang
Lingyan Yang, China
Graduate student in psychological and quantitative foundations of education
It is OK to be Different
The instructor in one of my classes really enjoyed American football games and he joked a lot about the college football team. One day in the class, when he was giving a lecture on a particular statistic problem, he used the football team as an example, once again. I understood he was trying to show us a vivid example and make us laugh. Please forgive me that I can not remember any words he said about the football team, because at that time I did not know what he was talking about. What I only remember were my classmates’ strong laughter, and my embarrassment. I sat in the first row in the classroom; I was supposed to hear more clearly what the instructor said and joked.