Frances Barnes recalls the profound culture shock she experienced when she first arrived in Iowa three years ago.
“I had never been to the Midwest before and wasn’t prepared for how different everything was,” says the 33-year-old College of Education Rehabilitation and Counselor Education doctoral student from North Carolina. “And I mean everything—the weather, the landscape, the culture, and not seeing as many people who looked like me.”
Lee Seedorff is the senior associate director of the University of Iowa’s International Student and Scholar Services, a school with over 3,500 international students. Jane Duo, a Chinese student at the University of Iowa, wanted to find out how an international advisor like Lee communicates with her many charges and what challenges she encounters in working with foreign students.
Lee said the University of Iowa begins talking with international students before they even arrive on campus, offering pre-arrival checklists to prepare students for what they need to know to come to America, and then continuing with orientations and special programs to help international students navigate their life in the U.S. So after all that communication experience, what does an international student advisor have to say about communicating with international students?
If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is a 90 second video worth? UI students submitted videos from their study abroad experiences for a chance to win cash prizes in a new video contest this year -- “Uncharted Territories.”
Jeannette George, a Nursing and International Studies (CLAS) major with an emphasis in African studies, has been studying at the University of Iowa since 2009. Last summer, she made the life-changing decision to pursue her academic research of Sickle Cell Anemia awareness far beyond her UI classrooms. Here is her reflection on her research, her decision to travel to Uganda, and why she will never regret it.
Beijing native Wu Qu, a UI undergraduate student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, recently traveled back to his home country to research the motivations behind Chinese involvement in the Korean War. His trip to China was supported by a Stanley Award for International Research. Qu researched Chinese political leaders’ perception of the war, Chinese domestic propaganda during the war, and spoke with several Chinese Korean War veterans to get their unique perspectives. Here, Wu comments on his several aspects of his research trip, which at times left him feeling like a foreigner in his own country.
Given the fact that most girls by the age of 12 have already begun to consider the minutiae of their future Big Day along with the popularity of reality TV shows on the topic, there is no doubt we are marriage- or at least wedding- crazy in the United States. But if you’re feeling wedding pressure here, thank your lucky stars you’re not a 20-something in China.
UI alum Alexandria Sharp, who is currently serving in the Peace Corps, will be visiting the UI during a break from her volunteer term to talk about her life and experiences in Nicaragua. Her presentation will be held Tuesday, Nov. 6, from 2-3 p.m. in 1117 University Capitol Centre and the event is free and open to the public.
In Nicaragua, Sharp is serving as a health promoter focused on maternal and child health, hygiene, and nutrition. She is eager to share her pictures and answer questions about her experience as a Peace Corps volunteer.
A small classroom filled with some 70 Chinese teenagers is a typical sight for Kirsten Jacobsen, a 2011 University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication graduate. Jacobsen, who speaks barely five words of Mandarin, has somehow found a way to not only survive while teaching in a new culture but also to turn her adventures into stories for The Des Moines Register.
The results of the 2010 census show that Latinos now make up the largest ethnic minority group in Iowa.
In recent years, the University of Iowa has responded to that demographic shift by expanding its outreach to prospective students of Latino heritage, hiring faculty members with expertise in Latino issues and supporting research on Latinos.
This summer, Naomi Jackson, a recipient of the Stanley Graduate Award for International Research, traveled to the island of Barbados to conduct research and continue work on her novel and MFA thesis project, which is set on the Caribbean island. In this reflection, Naomi shares her thoughts on the experience and the importance of her personal research to the final product of her first novel. (Photo, top left, credit: Sophia Wallace)
Luke Juran recently conducted research in post-disaster water sanitation in India through a Fulbright grant. In this video, he shares what inspired his project and how he gave back to the community while exploring the local culture.
Did you know that Thailand’s population is nearly 22 times that of Iowa, but only about three and a half times larger in size? With 70% of international students coming from East and Southeast Asia, many have come to call this land of wide open spaces their home. Here are the thoughts and reflections of two Thai students on classes, food, and the benefits and challenges of life abroad at the University of Iowa.
This is the seventh article in the Lens on China blog series by Lauren Katalinich.
One of the most amazing things about living abroad is that every day is an adventure to the senses. In China, I needn't look far to see sights that surprised me on a daily basis. Just when I thought I had my neighbors’ daily routines figured out, one of them would start carefully laying out peppers on the sidewalk (to dry in the sun) or a group of old men would be gathered in the park for kite flying festival. You never know what you're going to see next!
While most of the players on the Iowa men’s golf team hail from such Midwestern states as Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri, freshman Voramate Aussarassakorn’s home is much, much farther away - Around 8,541 miles.
Aussarassakorn is from Bangkok, Thailand, and he has been on the links since he was 8 years old.
Since that young age, golfing in the United States has always been his ambition.
In her bicycle trek across Japan last month, Iowa City resident Michelle Gin met a number of hibakusha, the Japanese term for survivors of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the U.S. in 1945.
One woman, a volunteer emergency aid worker, recounted to Gin her experience of rushing to the hospital just after the bomb dropped. The streets were filled with burned bodies and hands reached for her ankles for help as she walked by.
