But what if you’re one of the more-than 60 international students at Humboldt State? From this perspective, Thanksgiving might seem like little more than a hitch in your school schedule -– a week with nothing to do, while Americans fret over a silly-looking bird and watch even more football than usual.
Some international students jumped at the opportunity to see the country beyond Humboldt and took planes, trains and automobiles to places like San Francisco and New York. Others spent the week with their mentor families – locals who have volunteered to house an international student, while those without mentor families were paired with HSU faculty and staff to share in the holiday feast.
Nozomi Miya and others in Humboldt State’s International Programs Office worked this year, as they do every year, to place these students, who come from as far away as the Japan, Finland and China, with Humboldt State families to share their Turkey-Day traditions.
Nick DeRuyter, of Information and Technical Services, and his wife Diane, are one such couple that welcomed international students into their home for the Holiday.
The DeRuyters served the traditional Thanksgiving spread, sharing it with Hiroyuki Kajino, from Japan, and Luc Lusamba of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
With little over 20 percent of Humboldt State’s student population reportedly belonging to traditionally underrepresented ethnic groups, the infusion of so many international students can be a welcome addition for people like the DeRuyters.
“My wife and I really enjoyed our interactions with different cultures. Other places we lived have had much more diversity,” said DeRuyter.
“We hosted a pair of Japanese exchange students three different summers when our children were young. We have very fond memories of those times,” DeRuyter added.
New faces and a new program at HSU
This year, in addition to the 42 international students attending HSU on exchange programs, there are 16 students from Xi’an China here for Humboldt’s first year in the Sino-American 1-2-1 Dual Degree Program.
The program offers Chinese students from the Xi’an International Studies University (XISU) a chance to take American-style academic courses for a year in their native country then spend two years studying at HSU and then return to XISU to finish their schooling. By the time they graduate, the students will have earned bachelor degrees from both Humboldt State and their home institutions.
The involvement of Humboldt State in the dual degree program is a boost to all International Programs on campus. In addition to bringing more students to Humboldt State with diverse cultural and academic backgrounds, it also bolsters enrollment gains seen in 2006 and 2007. Dr. Guy-Alain Amoussou, director of International Programs at HSU, is ready to boost the dual-degree program to 60 students in the Fall 2008 semester and foresees raising the enrollment limit as the program matures.
All told, the 58 international students currently on campus bring with them much more than a desire to learn English and study in America. Already, the housing department has taken notice of the richness of culture and experience the international students bring with them. To this end, residential students are offered a chance to live in what’s known as the International Living Community, located in the Creekview residence halls. Students from abroad live side-by-side with American students in an environment intended to benefit both sides.
Dr. Amoussou stresses the importance of exposure to a culturally diverse student body. “You can have people of different race, people of different color, people of different origins living together with out really being diverse. The way they think is monocultural, it's not multicultural. So for Humboldt State to gain, as higher education institution, that aspect is critical in order to create diversity of the mind.”
“We can't send all Humboldt State students abroad to study, but we can bring more international students here to create that ambience,” Dr. Amoussou said.
Humboldt State is home to many departments and groups that cater to the needs of its international students. While the World Languages and Cultures department might provide a cultural foothold for newly arriving students, offices like the International English Language Institute (IELI) work to improve the student’s language skills and ease them into American culture.
“An activity and housing program is key to student retention. We help them find out what you do here. We try to introduce them to healthy ways of enjoying Humboldt,” said Nicola Maria-Moloney, Administrative Support Coordinator for the IELI.
In the IELI’s Home Stay Program local families agree to house international students. For a relatively affordable price, the students get food, a place to sleep and, perhaps most importantly, a healthy dose of new surroundings.
“We specialize in culture shock,” adds Maria-Moloney.
The IELI is prepared for the influx of dual-degree students from China when the number of students jumps almost four-fold to 60. And at any moment, who knows, Humboldt State might just become the number one study-abroad destination for Qatar or Ghana, like in Fall of 2005 when no less than 24 Japanese students came to Humboldt when other countries were sending 1 or 2.
Maria-Moloney chalks it up to the dedication her program, and others like it, have for making students feel at home. “We have seen growth due word-of-mouth and I think its this sense of being in this together that really helps.”