"Eye Opener!" That's How One International Student Remembers It
Student Newspaper Editor Adriel Wong Reports on Trip to the West Texas Fair
Adriel Wong has been at Hardin-Simmons since the spring of 2008 and he remembers his first trip to the West Texas Fair and Rodeo.
He wrote the story below for The Brand, which appears in the September 29th issue. He says his first trip was a real eye-opener!
His story comes not only from the perspective of a journalist, but also from someone who knows what it is like to be an international student far from home in a culture unfamiliar.
Adriel is from Malaysia, a senior majoring in English. He says he wants to go to graduate school at HSU but will eventually go back to Malaysia. He hopes to get a job in publishing or teaching.
International Students Experience West Texas Fair
By Adriel Wong
It is no secret that Hardin-Simmons University has a growing population of international students on its campus. Some of them come from as far away as India, Nigeria, and Malaysia. Coming to a foreign land is never an easy task; to live and study in it is even harder.
At HSU, there have been a few brave souls who have dared to take on that challenge. Yet, for all the challenges that living and studying abroad presents, there are definitely benefits that are gained. One can only grow as person when he or she is exposed to a culture that is foreign.
The West Texas Fair was one of the many cultural escapades some of the international students of HSU got to experience first-hand. While there were many games and rides scattered throughout the fair, the highlight of the night was most definitely the rodeo. For many of the international students, this was the first time that their eyes had ever witnessed such an event.
Alexis Chuah, a Malaysian student majoring in Economics at HSU, said, "The rodeo was a good experience. It is something new for me."
Grace Lee, a Nursing major who also hails from Malaysia said, "This is the first rodeo I have been to. The bull riding was really exciting and I enjoyed it."
"The rides and people were also a lot fun. I enjoyed seeing a lot people around the fair trying to win prizes by playing the games," said Lee.
The party that ventured to the fair, however, was not just comprised of international students. A few American students were also kind enough to accompany the internationals to help them understand the intriguing and fascinating phenomenon that is the rodeo.
Tori Whitmore, an Honors student at HSU, said, "It's great to have international students come to the fair to experience the Western culture; and it's neat to see that they have an interest in experiencing this. It was especially good to see Kaushik experience his first rodeo." Whitmore was referring to Kaushi Banker, a HSU student who comes from India.
To aid international students at HSU, the International Student Fellowship (ISF) encourages such trips and also arranges for outings to be made throughout the semester year. In addition to that, the ISF, along with committee members comprised of various HSU faculties, is also committed to helping international students in any way that they can, from academics to health care issues.
If you would like to join the ISF or have any questions, please feel free to email at isf@hsutx.edu. You also don't have to be an international student to join, anyone and everyone is welcome. A facebook page is also available and it is an open group on the HSU network (keyword: International Student Fellowship).
Photos taken by international students at the West Texas Fair and Rodeo
0 Comments
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Click here for our full user agreement.