Enders spent his sophomore year in Athens and has now returned as a senior, continuing to study sports management. He’s enrolled at Ohio University as part of a dual program with his old school, and he said he loves the feeling of an authentic American university.

“I think it’s really (an) unfiltered American experience here,” he said. “It’s a vibe like a music festival because everybody is young and just wants to explore themselves and have fun and have a good time.”

Creating a home away from home

Enders came to the U.S. with short notice both times, which meant he did not participate in the international student orientation. Enders said the university provided him with resources such as advice on what he should bring and where he can buy items in the U.S., but otherwise he relied on the friends he made.

“My roommates helped me out greatly,” Enders said. "That's the coolest part actually. They helped me out with everything.”

Enders said he was particularly interested in studying in the U.S. to broaden his horizons and was intrigued by what he saw in movies. He said he has not been disappointed, pointing to block parties and everyone wearing OU clothing as things he had seen through Hollywood.

“Everybody's just itching to get a good experience,” Enders said. “Especially, for instance, the move in weekend. Everybody's just all smiles and excited, like, ‘Hey, what's going on here?’”

Roshni Ashiq, a grad student studying health communication, arrived in the U.S. with an open mind. Having earned two degrees in public health, she had already experienced the workforce and knew how she wanted to make a difference.

Ashiq worked in a tertiary care hospital for two years where she was mainly focused on pediatrics. Although she had an enjoyable experience, she felt pulled to the communication side of medicine to connect communities with vital resources they might not have known about.

The way Ashiq ended up at OU was a little unconventional. The Higher Education Commission of her home country of Pakistan had just begun a scholarship program for PhD studies. Ashiq applied and received the scholarship to continue with her studies in public health. Once she was approved for the scholarship, the committee recommended OU. Ashiq said that she had her sights on Scripps College of Communication due to the good reputation and rigorous course load.

“Scripps College is so far one of the best colleges when it comes to communications,” Ashiq said. “I wanted to do it, but I never knew that I would actually be able to do it– it was a dream come true thing.”

Ashiq said she has had a great experience at OU thus far, most notably enjoying the opportunity to teach a class. In the second year of her program, she taught the Fundamentals of Public Speaking and Communication Among Cultures. She admitted that at first, she struggled with the language barrier and American cultural norms as she is now, but she has created an established rapport with her students and has learned a lot over time.

Additionally, Ashiq has loved making friends from all around the world. Not only is she meeting a lot of new people from the U.S., but she has also had the opportunity to meet fellow international students.

“Because there are so many international students now, I can say I have so many nationalities as a friend circle, so that is one thing really exciting about OU,” Ashiq said.

Keamogetse Yasmine Khudu, a Ph.D. student studying counseling education and supervision, serves as the president of the International Student Union, or ISU. Khudu hails from Botswana, and said being a part of ISU has allowed her to connect with other international students and build a new home.

ISU is an umbrella institution for 18 student organizations such as the African Students’ Union and Indian Students’ Association, each representing a global identity found at OU. Khudu said one of her favorite things about ISU is its ability to connect students in its network. ISU hosts events specifically for international students, such as the upcoming trip to Columbus on Dec. 3, but Khudu said her favorite events occur when international students are celebrated at a university-wide level.

“One of my favorite moments was during the homecoming parade, and just seeing so many of us from different parts of the world holding our country flags, that means a lot,” Khudu said. “I feel like at that moment all eyes are on us. Everyone is wearing white and green and all that, the OU colors. Those flags bring something else, they just bring that beautiful pop of color.”

Diana Cahill, the director of International Student and Scholar Services and the interim director of the Office of Global Affairs, said the university celebrations of international students are initiated by student organizations.

“One of the things the students and I have been talking about, or at least in the ISU with the group, is the idea of trying to figure out ways to really make sure that we’re highlighting the students themselves,” Cahill said. “What I mean by that is trying to make sure that we’re not just saying, oh, cool outfit or their music’s neat or the food is good, which it all is, but that’s not why they’re here.”

Khudu said there is nothing she loves about her experience in the U.S. more than feeling like the international community at OU is truly interwoven into the fabric of the university.

“Those are my favorite moments, when we are celebrated, when we are recognized, when we are seen, but also, when we are heard.” — Keamogetse Yasmine Khudu, a Ph.D. student studying counseling education and supervision

“(When) we hold those spaces where we can talk about our issues, those are the moments that I actually look forward to. I don’t want to be all about events and happiness, I also want to address issues that will affect us.”

Land of the Fee

For Enders, the hardest part about studying abroad is explaining Athens to his German friends and family. However, for international students who spend their entire undergraduate or graduate career in the U.S. rather than participating in an exchange, there can be more frequent difficulties.

To study abroad, students are required to have American visas. There are two main types of U.S. visas. The first are nonimmigrant visas that indicate a person is traveling to the U.S. temporarily. The second type are immigrant visas, which are for people who will be living in the U.S. permanently.

In order for international students to study in the U.S., they must apply for student visas. To do so, they have to already be accepted into their higher education institution or program.

The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs’s website allows for students to select a U.S. Embassy or Consulate in their home country and view wait times for visa interview appointments. An interview at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate is required for people between the ages 14 and 79.

Before the interview, one must purchase the $160 application fee and gather additional documents and documentation such as a passport, the nonimmigrant visa application, application payment receipt, a photo and other forms sent by the school a student plans to attend. A consular officer conducting the interview could also ask for documentation including but not limited to academic transcripts, previous standardized test scores or their financial plan for moving.

A student visa can be issued as many as 120 days prior to the start of a program. However, international students are not allowed to travel to the U.S. on their student visa more than 30 days before the start of their study. This can make for quick planning. Enders said for his first bout in the U.S., his visa came just three days before he flew across the world.

Upon arriving at a U.S. airport, a student can still be denied entry into the country, which is a decision made by officials of the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Costums and Border Protection.

Khudu’s student visa only allows her to be employed through the school. However, OU caps student work hours to 20 per week, to ensure students prioritize their schoolwork during the semester. The cap on student work hours is a result of federal regulations, Cahill said. But during breaks, which the university considers to be during summer and winter, the cap increases to 36 hours, which was decided by the university, as there is no federally enforced limit during those periods.

“There were regulations around when an employer had to offer their own insurance,” Cahill said. “And so that cap, it’s like when you switch from part time to full time, and so students were working 40 hours a week on average for a year (and) they would be eligible for employee sponsored insurance.”

If students work more than the caps allow, they violate their immigration status and risk being deported, Cahill said.

However, International students still have bills to pay and they all add up.

“We have to pay rent and the living expenses can be too much, or a bit expensive,” Khudu said. “That's another issue that we tried to kind of talk about, but also sometimes I feel guilty because I'm like, you know, they're paying for my school, my tuition and I'm working for them. But sometimes, even trying to afford rent is a little bit difficult.”

Khudu said most students she knows often utilize school resources such as Cat’s Cupboard and they are also able to use the same resources as domestic students. Khudu said many international students also get health insurance through the school, which is an additional expense.

According to the OU International Student and Scholar Services’ website, the U.S.’s lack of universal healthcare means students either have to pay out-of-pocket for medical costs or use health insurance. However, OU already requires students to have health insurance.

The Health Insurance Policy is provided by United Healthcare Student Resources and is automatically charged to students’ tuition, according to the Student Health Insurance website. It costs a premium of $1,071 for the 2022 Fall Semester and will decrease by around $30 for the Spring Semester, according to the university’s Student Health Insurance website.

“A lot of students are coming from countries where there’s universal healthcare,” Cahill said. “Coming to a country where you go from universal healthcare where you walk into the clinic or the pharmacy or whatever and you just get what you need to a place where there’s many layers, many options, many impacts—it’s really intense.”

Another issue that arises is when international students, especially graduate students, begin to get paid for their jobs.

“Your pay as a graduate student or even as somebody working at the institution,” Cahill said. “The first payroll date is often about a month after students arrive because of just the way all of the processing works.”

The wait for payments to enter students’ accounts makes it difficult to meet payment deadlines and afford basic necessities.

“The other day I was sitting with a group of friends from different parts of Africa talking about how we came here for school and you know, life is full of struggle, so we have to kind of accept it,” Khudu said. “But sometimes I disagree with that because I cannot accept it if every single month after I receive my stipend and I pay all my bills and stuff, I'm so sad that I'm like, ‘What am I going to eat?’”

Khudu said some international students also send money to their home countries, which can cause additional financial stress.

“We have to figure out how do we pay for rent, how do you pay for certain expenses?” Khudu said. “Some people send money home to family, to parents, to the kids, so imagine having to save $100 after paying rent and paying insurance. And then you're like, how do I survive?”

Resilience in relocation

Some international students may help provide for their families, but most miss them, particularly those who complete the entirety of their degree abroad.

Enders said he gets caught up in the semester, in meeting others and in the many experiences he has, which minimizes how much he misses his family. Perhaps this is why Khudu said summer is the loneliest time of the year. With plane tickets back to Botswana priced between $1200 and $2000, traveling home is difficult, and she said she feels especially homesick when Athens dies down in the summer months.

However, throughout the year, there are always pieces of home students wish they could find. Khudu said she particularly misses the food, especially given there are few options for African cuisine in Athens.

She said sometimes she dines at African restaurants in Columbus, but the hour and fifteen minute drive mostly only brings restaurants from the opposite side of the continent from Botswana, not her homely comfort foods.

Jisoo Jin, a freshman studying international relations, said he was looking forward to enjoying authentic Japanese food from home. He said there are not a lot of places to satisfy that craving in Athens.

Ashiq is on the same page, saying that the only thing she misses more than her family is food.

“I tend to have to travel so far to actually even get like a spice from home,” Khudu said. “Or someone who's coming from home I ask them ‘hey, can you bring this box of spices or bring me this?’”

When people are able to visit, it is often few and far between. Khudu said many international students have family members in the U.S., but they are often states away. She has no family in the U.S., and the lack of familial faces in the same time zone can be particularly lonely when she’s missing home.

Khudu said missing one’s family can be particularly aching for students with children. She said she’s had conversations with international students who have kids still living abroad, describing sorrowful phone calls with kids confused about when their parents are coming home.

On top of missing home, the adjustment to a new culture can be jarring. Living in the U.S. also means adjusting to the social issues here. Khudu said one particularly tricky learning curve was understanding microaggressions, especially when they applied to her.

“I have faced a lot of microaggressions and sometimes it's too late to pick it out,” Khudu said. “I go home and I'm like, ‘what is that about?’ And then my American friend will be like, ‘yeah, that's a microaggression.’ I wouldn't pick it up quickly, because I'm not used to that where I'm from, so it’s another thing that you have to quickly be aware of.”

Similar to Khudu, Ashiq has also faced microaggressions. She said although none of them have been extremely serious, the toll builds up over time, creating a very hostile environment to live and work.

Ashiq recounted an incident when she was walking down Court Street with a friend when a man walking his dog passed them. The dog started to suddenly bark at Ashiq.

“That guy told me very explicitly to my face, ‘Oh yeah, he does not like Brown people, that’s why he’s barking,’” Ashiq said. “I think I’m very resilient, and I usually am not offended by these statements because I know these are a part of every culture.”

While international students frequently face these incidents with resilience, these adjustments, especially without familiar support systems, can become mentally exhausting.

“Now that I'm aware of what a microaggression is, I tend to sit down and kind of dwell on that which sometimes really can affect my mental health,” Khudu said.

Mental health can also be impacted when there is turmoil at home. Khudu said it is difficult when students cannot fly home for funerals or to say goodbye to loved ones. She added it was even more harrowing when there is a large-scale issue at home, citing the protests in Iran, the war in Ukraine and the Taliban’s control in Afghanistan.

“How can a student concentrate in class or even send in an assignment when they're on the phone all night with their parents trying to see if everything is okay? That’s heartbreaking to even think about.” — Keamogetse Yasmine Khudu, a Ph.D. student studying counseling education and supervision

Ashiq has a different perspective when it comes to keeping up to date with the news of her home country. Even when she was back home, she chose to not consume news and media about recent tragedies.

“I would not watch much news for two reasons,” Ashiq said. “First, because it would make me depressed. Second, I think that they always would be highlighting the negatives more than the positives because I still feel that even though all the turmoil is going on, people need that hope and positivity, and the media has a very big role to play in that which I felt was missing.”

The university does offer some emotional support for international students. Recently, OU Counseling and Psychological Services hosted a support space for Iranian students given the violent protests in their home country. The event took place Nov. 8 via Teams meeting from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. with the intention of providing a space for affected students to share their feelings. While this was a valiant effort on the university’s behalf, it can be difficult for international students to feel comfortable seeking professional help.

“Yes, we do have some resources here on campus, but some of us are from cultures where modernized counseling is not really our thing,” Khudu said. “So it takes a while for us to really reach out for help.”

Khudu is studying counseling, and noted she therefore has a good understanding of the importance of therapy, but said seeking counseling services was difficult even for her.

“Growing up I've been taught to be resilient, be strong, you know,” she said. “So having to sit down and talk to a stranger about my feelings can be hard.”

Looking forward

Spaces are being created for international students to communicate with one another to share similar experiences. Counseling and Psychological Services, or CPS, Cahill said, is leading some of these groups and can bring students together.

“One of the things students have said is that they’re already talking to each other,” Cahill said. “But sometimes they don’t want to talk about the reality of what’s going on because they don’t want to put that burden on their friend. But their friend actually understands what they’re going through."

In Athens, it is easy to get caught up in the bubble. Often, local things take precedence in students and staff’s minds because of their immediate relativity to the environment they are in. However, Khudu said she wishes there was more attention to events happening abroad, particularly from the university.

“We recognize that when things are happening back at home, yes, it might be far from us right now, but there’s definitely members who are experiencing that,” Khudu said. “A lot has been happening and I feel like the school hasn’t done anything yet.”

Instead of generally communicating about an incident in another country, Cahill said she prefers to reach out to different organizations and check on the students.

“I just think people need people. I’m sure that the statements because it does help with the other students to understand what’s going on and helps the faculty. I think those things are important. However, for me, I actually really want to make sure that the people are okay.” — Diana Cahill, the director of International Student and Scholar Services, interim director of the Office of Global Affairs

“I just think people need people,” Cahill said. “I’m sure that the statements because it does help with the other students to understand what’s going on and helps the faculty. I think those things are important. However, for me, I actually really want to make sure that the people are okay.”

Although there are different resources and offices for international students to reach out to, there are still students who hope to see more.

Khudu said she wishes there was an easier way for international students to voice concerns to the university, and more of an effort made to make international students feel heard.

“It goes back to creating a space where students can sit at a table and talk to the president of the school and say, ‘Hey, this is what we need right now from you, as our president, because you are hosting us as international students,’” Khudu said.

International students work through many hurdles in addition to the general stresses of being a college student. Even with the extra work and effort many of them have to do, Khudu said sometimes there is a feeling of being left unseen in the general university sphere.

Khudu said it can be difficult to balance acknowledging international student issues with a sense that they should not be complaining with this opportunity.

“You feel so stuck between being appreciative and then also feeling like you're being let down,” Khudu said. “I want us to be included because again, we bring a lot of rich diversity to this university. And I'd like us to feel like yeah, we are part of the university. I want to push for our existence to be recognized here as part of the Bobcats, not only during International Week, but every day.”

Enders pasaba su segundo año en Athens, y ahora ha regresado para su cuarto año, continuando sus estudios de manejo deportivo. Él está matriculado en la Universidad de Ohio como parte del programa dual con su escuela previa, y dijo que le encanta el ambiente de una universidad auténtica estadounidense.

“Creo que es realmente (una) experiencia estadounidense auténtica aquí,” él dijo. “Es un ambiente como un festival de música porque todos son jóvenes y solo quieren explorar a ellos mismos y se quieren divertir y tener un buen tiempo.”

Creando un hogar lejos de casa

Enders vino a los Estados Unidos con un corto plazo ambos tiempos, que significó que él no participó con la orientación de estudiantes internacionales. Enders dijo que la universidad le proveyó con recursos para aconsejar sobre que debe traer y donde puede comprar cosas en los EE.UU, pero de otra manera, confió en sus amigos que conoció.

“Mis compañeros de cuatro me ayudaron mucho,” Enders dijo. “Esa es la parte más genial actualmente. Me ayudaron con todo.”

Enders dijo que él estaba particularmente interesado en estudiar en los EE.UU para expandir sus oportunidades y estaba intrigado sobre lo que vio en el cine. Él dijo que no ha sido decepcionado, señalando a las fiestas de barrio y toda la gente que están usando mercancía de OU como cosas él ha visto a través de Hollywood.

“Todos están ansiosos por tener una buena experiencia,” dijo Enders. “Especialmente, por ejemplo, el fin de semana de la mudanza. Todos sonríen y están emocionados, como, 'Oye, ¿qué está pasando aquí?'"

Roshni Ashiq, una estudiante de maestría que está estudiando comunicación de salud, llegó a los EE. UU. con una mente abierta. Ha recibido dos títulos en salud pública, ella ya había experimentado la fuerza laboral y sabía cómo quería marcar la diferencia.

Ashiq trabajó en un hospital de atención terciaria durante dos años donde se centró principalmente en pediatría. Aunque tuvo una experiencia agradable, se sintió atraída por el lado de la comunicación de la medicina para conectar a las comunidades con recursos vitales que tal vez no conocían.

La forma en que Ashiq terminó en OU fue un poco inusual. La Comisión de Educación Superior de su país de origen, Pakistán, acababa de iniciar un programa de becas para estudios de doctorado. Ashiq aplicó y recibió la beca para continuar con sus estudios en salud pública. Una vez que fue aprobada para la beca, el comité recomendó a OU. Ashiq dijo que tenía la vista puesta en Scripps College of Communication debido a la buena reputación y la carga académica rigurosa.

“Scripps College es hasta ahora una de las mejores universidades en lo que respecta a las comunicaciones,” dijo Ashiq. “Quería hacerlo, pero nunca sabía que podía hacerlo en la realidad– fue un sueño hecho realidad.”

Ashiq dijo que ha tenido una gran experiencia en OU hasta ahora, más notable disfrutando la oportunidad de enseñar una clase. En el segundo año de su programa, ella daba clases de los Fundamentales de Hablar en Público y Comunicación a través de Culturas. Ella admitió que al principio, luchó con la barrera del idioma y las normas de cultura estadounidense, pero ha creado una buena relación con sus estudiantes y ha aprendido mucho en su tiempo.

Adicionalmente, a Ashiq le gusta hacer amigos nuevos de todas partes del mundo. No solo ella está conociendo muchas personas de todas partes de los EE.UU, pero ella ha tenido la oportunidad para conocer otros estudiantes internacionales.

“Porque hay muchos estudiantes internacionales ahora, yo puedo decir que tengo muchos amigos en mi círculo de muchos países, entonces esto fue una cosa muy emocionante sobre OU,” dijo Ashiq.

Keamogetse Yasmine Khudu, una estudiante de doctorado estudiando consejería educativa y supervisión, trabaja como la presidenta de la Unión de los Estudiantes Internacionales, o ISU. Khudu es de Botswana, y dijo que ser una parte de ISU ha permitido conectar con otros estudiantes internacionales y construyó un hogar nuevo.

ISU es una institución superior para 18 organizaciones como la Unión de Estudiantes Africanos y la Asociación de Estudiantes Indios, cada grupo está representado una identidad global que puede ser encontrada en OU. Khudu dijo que una de las partes favoritas sobre ISU es su habilidad para conectar estudiantes con su grupo de contactos. ISU hospeda eventos específicos para estudiantes internacionales, como un viaje inminente a Columbus el 3 de diciembre, pero Khudu dijo que sus eventos favoritos ocurren cuando estudiantes internacionales celebran a un nivel de todo la universidad.

“Uno de mis momentos favoritos fue durante el desfile de bienvenida, y ver a muchos de nosotros de diferentes partes del mundo sosteniendo las banderas de nuestros países significa mucho,” dijo Khudu. “Siento que en ese momento toda la vista están puestas en nosotros. Todo el mundo está vestido de blanco y verde con todo, los colores de OU. Esas banderas traen algo más, traen ese hermoso toque de color.”

Diana Cahill, la directora de Servicios para Estudiantes y Académicos Internacionales y la directora interina de la Oficina de Asuntos Globales, dijo que las celebraciones universitarias de estudiantes internacionales empiezan de organizaciones estudiantiles.

“Una de las cosas de las que los estudiantes y yo hemos estado hablando, o al menos en la ISU con el grupo, es la idea de tratar de encontrar formas de asegurarnos de que estamos destacando a los propios estudiantes,” dijo Cahill. “Lo que quiero decir con eso es tratar de asegurarnos de que no solo estemos diciendo, oh, ropa genial o su música es buena o la comida es buena, que es todo, pero no es por eso que están aquí.”

Khudu dijo que no hay nada que le guste más de su experiencia en los EE. UU. que sentir que la comunidad internacional en OU está realmente entrelazada en la estructura de la universidad.

“Esos son mis momentos favoritos, cuando nos celebran, cuando nos reconocen, cuando nos ven, pero también cuando nos escuchan.” — Keamogetse Yasmine Khudu, una estudiante de doctorado estudiando consejería educativa y supervisión

“(Cuando) tenemos esos espacios donde podemos hablar sobre nuestros problemas, esos son los momentos que realmente espero con ansias. No quiero ser todo acerca de los eventos y la felicidad, también quiero abordar los problemas que nos afectarán.”

Tierra del Precio

Para Enders, la parte más difícil sobre estudiar en el extranjero es explicando Athens a su amigos alemanes y familia. Sin embargo, para estudiantes internacionales que pasan sus carreras universitarias en los EE. UU. en lugar de participar en un intercambio, puede haber más dificultades frecuentes.

Para estudiar en el extranajero, los estudiantes requieren visas americanas. Hay dos tipos principales de visas americanas. Primero, hay visas de no inmigrantes que indican que una persona está viajando a los EE. UU. temporalmente. La segunda clase de visa es para gente que va a vivir en los EE. UU. permanente.

Para que los estudiantes internacionales puedan estudiar en los EE. UU., deben solicitar visas de estudiante. Para hacerlo, deben ser aceptados en su institución o programa de educación superior.

El sitio web de la Oficina de Asuntos Consulares del Departamento de Estado de los EE. UU. permite a los estudiantes seleccionar una embajada o un consulado de los EE. UU. en su país de origen y ver los tiempos de espera para las citas para entrevistas de visa. Se requiere una entrevista en una Embajada o Consulado de los EE. UU. para personas entre 14 y 79 años.

Antes de la entrevista, se debe pagar la tarifa de solicitud de $160 y reunir documentos y documentación adicionales, como un pasaporte, la solicitud de visa de no inmigrante, el recibo de pago de la solicitud, una fotografía y otros formularios enviados por la escuela a la que el estudiante planea asistir. Un oficial consular que realice la entrevista también podría solicitar documentación que incluya, entre otros, expedientes académicos, puntajes de exámenes estandarizados anteriores o su plan financiero para mudarse.

Se puede emitir una visa de estudiante hasta 120 días antes del inicio de un programa. Sin embargo, los estudiantes internacionales no pueden viajar a los EE. UU. con su visa de estudiante más de 30 días antes del inicio de sus estudios. Esto puede contribuir a una planificación rápida. Enders dijo que para su primer viaje a los EE. UU., su visa llegó solo tres días antes de volar al otro lado del mundo.

Al llegar a un aeropuerto de los EE. UU., aún se le puede negar la entrada al país a un estudiante, lo cual es una decisión tomada por los funcionarios del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional y de la Oficina de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza de los EE. UU.

La visa de estudiante de Khudu solo le permite trabajar a través de la escuela. Sin embargo, OU limita las horas de trabajo de los estudiantes a 20 por semana, para asegurar que los estudiantes prioricen su trabajo escolar durante el semestre. El límite de horas de trabajo de los estudiantes es el resultado de las regulaciones federales, dijo Cahill. Pero durante las vacaciones, que la universidad considera que son durante el verano y el invierno, el límite aumenta a 36 horas, lo cual fue decidido por la universidad, ya que no existe un límite impuesto por el gobierno federal durante esos períodos.

“Había regulaciones sobre cuándo un empleador tenía que ofrecer su propio seguro,” dijo Cahill. “Y ese límite, es como cuando cambias de tiempo parcial a tiempo completo, y los estudiantes trabajaron 40 horas a la semana en promedio durante un año (y) serían elegibles para el seguro patrocinado por el empleado.”

Si los estudiantes trabajan más de lo que permiten los límites, violan su estatus migratorio y tienen el riesgo de ser deportados, dijo Cahill.

Sin embargo, estudiantes internacionales ya tienen cuentas para pagar, y los suman.

“Tenemos que pagar el alquiler y los gastos de manutención pueden ser demasiado o un poco caros,” dijo Khudu. “Ese es otro tema del que tratamos de hablar, pero también a veces me siento culpable porque pienso, ya sabes, están pagando mi escuela, mi matrícula y yo estoy trabajando para ellos. Pero a veces, incluso tratar de pagar el alquiler es un poco difícil.”

Khudu dijo que la mayoría de los estudiantes que conoce a menudo utilizan recursos escolares como Cat's Cupboard y también pueden usar los mismos recursos que los estudiantes nacionales. Khudu dijo que muchos estudiantes internacionales también tienen seguro médico a través de la escuela, lo cual es un gasto adicional.

Según el sitio web de OU International Student and Scholar Services, la falta de atención médica universal en los EE. UU. significa que los estudiantes tienen que pagar de su bolsillo los costos médicos o usar un seguro médico. Sin embargo, OU ya requiere que los estudiantes tengan seguro médico.

La Póliza de Seguro de Salud es proporcionada por United Healthcare Student Resources y se carga automáticamente a la matrícula de los estudiantes, según el sitio web de Student Health Insurance. Cuesta una prima de $1,071 para el semestre de otoño de 2022 y se reducirá en alrededor de $30 para el semestre de primavera, según el sitio web de Seguros Médicos para Estudiantes de la universidad.

“Muchos estudiantes vienen de países donde hay asistencia médica universal,” dijo Cahill. “Llegar a un país donde pasas de la atención médica universal donde entras a la clínica o la farmacia o lo que sea y obtienes lo que necesitas a un lugar donde hay muchas capas, muchas opciones, muchos impactos, es realmente intenso.”

Otro problema que surge es cuando los estudiantes internacionales, especialmente los estudiantes de posgrado, comienzan a cobrar por sus trabajos.

“Tu pagas como estudiante de posgrado o como alguien que trabaja en la institución,” dijo Cahill. “La primera fecha de nómina suele ser un mes después de la llegada de los estudiantes debido a la forma en que funciona todo el procesamiento.”

La espera de los pagos para ingresar a las cuentas de los estudiantes dificulta cumplir con los plazos de pago y cubrir las necesidades básicas.

“El otro día estaba sentado con un grupo de amigos de diferentes partes de África hablando sobre cómo vinimos aquí para la escuela y sabes, la vida está llena de lucha, así que tenemos que aceptarlo,” dijo Khudu. “Pero a veces no estoy de acuerdo con eso porque no puedo aceptarlo si cada mes después de recibir mi estipendio y pagar todas mis facturas y demás, estoy tan triste que pienso, '¿Qué voy a comer?'”

Khudu dijo que algunos estudiantes internacionales también envían dinero a sus países de origen, lo que puede causar estrés financiero adicional.

“Tenemos que averiguar cómo pagamos el alquiler, ¿cómo pagas ciertos gastos?” dijo Khudu. “Algunas personas envían dinero a la familia, a los padres, a los niños, así que imagina tener que ahorrar $100 después de pagar el alquiler y el seguro. Y luego piensas, ¿cómo sobrevivo?”

Resiliencia en la Reubicación

Algunos estudiantes internacionales pueden ayudar a mantener a sus familias, pero la mayoría los extraña, particularmente aquellos que completan la totalidad de su carrera en el extranjero.

Enders dijo que se enfoca en el semestre, en conocer a otros y en las muchas experiencias que tiene, lo que minimiza cuánto extraña a su familia. Quizás por eso Khudu dijo que el verano es la época más solitaria del año. Dado que los boletos de avión de regreso a Botswana cuestan entre $1200 y $2000, viajar a casa es difícil, y dice que siente especial nostalgia cuando Atenas se apaga en los meses de verano.

Sin embargo, durante el año, siempre hay piezas de hogar que los estudiantes desearían poder encontrar. Khudu dijo que extraña particularmente la comida, especialmente dado que hay pocas opciones de gastronomía africana en Athens.

Ella dijo que a veces cena en restaurantes africanos en Columbus, pero el viaje de una hora y quince minutos en su mayoría solo trae restaurantes del lado opuesto del continente de Botswana, no sus comidas reconfortantes.

Jisoo Jin, un estudiante de primer año estudiando relaciones internacionales, dijo que estaba anticipando de disfrutar comida japonesa auténtica de su hogar. Él dijo que no hay muchos lugares en Athens para satisfacer los antojos.

Ashiq está de acuerdo, dice que la única cosa que ella extraña más que su familia es la comida.

“Tiendo que viajar tan lejos para obtener una especie especifica de casa,” dijo Khudu. “O alguien que viene de casa le pregunto ‘oye, ¿puedes traer esta caja de especies o traerme esto?'”

Cuando las personas pueden visitar, a menudo son pocos y distantes entre sí. Khudu dijo que muchos estudiantes internacionales tienen familiares en los EE. UU., pero a menudo se encuentran en otros estados. No tiene familia en los EE. UU., y la falta de rostros familiares en la misma zona horaria puede ser particularmente solitaria cuando extraña su hogar.

Khudu dijo que extrañar a la familia puede ser particularmente doloroso para los estudiantes con niños. Ella dijo que ha tenido conversaciones con estudiantes internacionales que tienen hijos que aún viven en el extranjero, describiendo llamadas telefónicas tristes con niños confundidos acerca de cuándo regresarán sus padres a casa.

Además de extrañar el hogar, la adaptación a una nueva cultura puede ser un poco chocante. Vivir en los EE. UU. también significa adaptarse a los problemas sociales aquí. Khudu dijo que una curva de aprendizaje particularmente complicada fue comprender las microagresiones, especialmente cuando se aplicaban a ella.

“Me he enfrentado a muchas microagresiones y, a veces, es demasiado tarde para detectarlas”, dijo Khudu. "Llego a casa y digo, '¿de qué se trata eso?' Y luego mi amigo estadounidense dice, 'sí, eso es una micro agresión.' No lo captaría rápidamente, porque no estoy acostumbrado de donde soy, así que es otra cosa de la que debes ser consciente rápidamente.”

Similar a Khudu, Ashiq ha enfrentado micro agresiones también. Ella dijo que aunque ninguno de los casos han sido muy serio, el efecto se acumula con el tiempo, creando un ambiente muy hostil para vivir y trabajar.

Ashiq relató un incidente cuando caminaba por Court Street con un amigo cuando un hombre que paseaba a su perro pasó junto a ellos. El perro comenzó a ladrar repentinamente a Ashiq.

“Ese tipo me dijo muy explícitamente a la cara, ‘Oh, sí, no le gustan los morenos, por eso está ladrando,'” dijo Ashiq. “Creo que soy muy resistente y, por lo general, no me ofenden estas declaraciones porque sé que son parte de todas las culturas.”

Si bien los estudiantes internacionales frecuentemente enfrentan estos incidentes con resiliencia, estos ajustes, especialmente sin sistemas de apoyo familiares, pueden volverse mentalmente agotadores.

“Ahora que soy consciente de lo que es una microagresión, tiendo a sentarme y reflexionar sobre lo que a veces realmente puede afectar mi salud mental,” dijo Khudu.

La salud mental también puede verse afectada cuando hay problemas en el hogar. Khudu dijo que es difícil cuando los estudiantes no pueden volar a casa para los funerales o para despedirse de sus seres queridos. Agregó que es aún más angustioso cuando hay un problema a gran escala en casa, citando las protestas en Irán, la guerra en Ucrania y el control del Taliban en Afganistán.

“¿Cómo puede un estudiante concentrarse en clase o incluso enviar una tarea cuando está hablando por teléfono toda la noche con sus padres tratando de ver si todo está bien? Es desgarrador incluso pensar en eso.” — Keamogetse Yasmine Khudu, una estudiante de doctorado estudiando consejería educativa y supervisión

“No vería muchas noticias por dos razones”, dijo Ashiq. “Primero, porque me deprimiría. En segundo lugar, creo que siempre resaltaría más los aspectos negativos que los positivos porque sigo sintiendo que a pesar de toda la confusión que está ocurriendo, la gente necesita esa esperanza y positividad, y los medios de comunicación tienen un papel muy importante que desempeñar en lo que sentí que me faltaba.”

La universidad ofrece algo de apoyo emocional para los estudiantes internacionales. Recientemente, los Servicios de Consejería y Psicología de OU organizaron un espacio de apoyo para estudiantes iraníes debido a las violentas protestas en su país de origen. El evento se llevó a cabo el 8 de noviembre a través de una reunión de Teams de 6 p.m. a las 7 p. m. con la intención de brindar un espacio para que los alumnos afectados compartan sus sentimientos. Si bien este fue un esfuerzo valiente en nombre de la universidad, puede ser difícil para los estudiantes internacionales sentirse cómodos buscando ayuda profesional.

“Sí, tenemos algunos recursos aquí en el campus, pero algunos de nosotros somos de culturas donde la consejería modernizada no es realmente lo nuestro,” dijo Khudu. “Así que nos toma un tiempo realmente buscar ayuda.”

Khudu está estudiando consejería y señaló que, por lo tanto, tiene una buena comprensión de la importancia de la terapia, pero dijo que buscar servicios de consejería fue difícil incluso para ella.

“Al crecer me han enseñado a ser resistente, ser fuerte, ya sabes,” ella dijo. “Así que tener que sentarme y hablar con un extraño sobre mis sentimientos puede ser difícil.”

Pensando en el Futuro

Se están creando espacios para que los estudiantes internacionales se comuniquen entre sí para compartir experiencias similares. Los Servicios de Consejería y Psicología, o CPS, dijo Cahill, están liderando algunos de estos grupos y pueden unir a los estudiantes.

“Una de las cosas que han dicho los estudiantes es que ya están hablando entre ellos,” dijo Cahill. “Pero a veces no quieren hablar sobre la realidad de lo que está pasando porque no quieren poner esa carga sobre su amigo. Pero su amigo realmente entiende lo que está pasando."

En Athens, es fácil quedar atrapado en la burbuja. A menudo, las cosas locales tienen prioridad en la mente de los estudiantes y el personal debido a su relación inmediata con el entorno en el que se encuentran. Sin embargo, Khudu dijo que desea que se preste más atención a los eventos que suceden en el extranjero, particularmente de la universidad.

“Reconocemos que cuando las cosas suceden en casa, sí, puede que esté lejos de nosotros en este momento, pero definitivamente hay miembros que están experimentando eso,” dijo Khudu. “Han estado sucediendo muchas cosas y siento que la escuela aún no ha hecho nada.”

En lugar de comunicarse en general sobre un incidente en otro país, Cahill dijo que prefiere comunicarse con diferentes organizaciones y controlar a los estudiantes.

“Simplemente creo que la gente necesita gente. Estoy seguro de que las declaraciones porque ayudan a los otros estudiantes a comprender lo que está pasando y ayuda a la facultad. Creo que esas cosas son importantes. Sin embargo, para mí, realmente quiero asegurarme de que la gente esté bien.” — Diana Cahill, la directora de Servicios para Estudiantes y Académicos Internacionales y la directora interina de la Oficina de Asuntos Globales

Aunque existen diferentes recursos y oficinas para que los estudiantes internacionales se comuniquen, todavía hay estudiantes que esperan ver más.

Khudu dijo que desearía que hubiera una manera más fácil para que los estudiantes internacionales expresaran sus preocupaciones a la universidad, y que se hiciera un mayor esfuerzo para que los estudiantes internacionales se sintieran escuchados.

“Se trata de crear un espacio donde los estudiantes puedan sentarse en una mesa y hablar con el presidente de la escuela y decir, 'Oye, esto es lo que necesitamos ahora mismo de ti, como nuestro presidenta, porque nos recibes como estudiantes internacionales,’” dijo Khudu.

Los estudiantes internacionales superan muchos obstáculos además del estrés general de ser un estudiante universitario. Incluso con el trabajo y el esfuerzo extra que muchos de ellos tienen que hacer, Khudu dijo que a veces hay una sensación de no ser visto en la esfera universitaria general.

Khudu dijo que puede ser difícil equilibrar el reconocimiento de los problemas de los estudiantes internacionales con la sensación de que no deberían quejarse de esta oportunidad.

“Te sientes tan atrapado entre ser agradecido y luego sentir que te están decepcionando,” dijo Khudu. “Quiero que seamos incluidos porque, una vez más, traemos mucha diversidad rica a esta universidad. Y me gustaría que sintiéramos que sí, somos parte de la universidad. Quiero presionar para que nuestra existencia sea conocida aquí como parte de los Bobcats, no solo durante la Semana Internacional, sino todos los días."

Enders spent his sophomore year in Athens and has now returned as a senior, continuing to study sports management. He’s enrolled at Ohio University as part of a dual program with his old school, and he said he loves the feeling of an authentic American university.

“I think it’s really (an) unfiltered American experience here,” he said. “It’s a vibe like a music festival because everybody is young and just wants to explore themselves and have fun and have a good time.”

Creating a home away from home

Enders came to the U.S. with short notice both times, which meant he did not participate in the international student orientation. Enders said the university provided him with resources such as advice on what he should bring and where he can buy items in the U.S., but otherwise he relied on the friends he made.

“My roommates helped me out greatly,” Enders said. "That's the coolest part actually. They helped me out with everything.”

Enders said he was particularly interested in studying in the U.S. to broaden his horizons and was intrigued by what he saw in movies. He said he has not been disappointed, pointing to block parties and everyone wearing OU clothing as things he had seen through Hollywood.

“Everybody's just itching to get a good experience,” Enders said. “Especially, for instance, the move in weekend. Everybody's just all smiles and excited, like, ‘Hey, what's going on here?’”

Roshni Ashiq, a grad student studying health communication, arrived in the U.S. with an open mind. Having earned two degrees in public health, she had already experienced the workforce and knew how she wanted to make a difference.

Ashiq worked in a tertiary care hospital for two years where she was mainly focused on pediatrics. Although she had an enjoyable experience, she felt pulled to the communication side of medicine to connect communities with vital resources they might not have known about.

The way Ashiq ended up at OU was a little unconventional. The Higher Education Commission of her home country of Pakistan had just begun a scholarship program for PhD studies. Ashiq applied and received the scholarship to continue with her studies in public health. Once she was approved for the scholarship, the committee recommended OU. Ashiq said that she had her sights on Scripps College of Communication due to the good reputation and rigorous course load.

“Scripps College is so far one of the best colleges when it comes to communications,” Ashiq said. “I wanted to do it, but I never knew that I would actually be able to do it– it was a dream come true thing.”

Ashiq said she has had a great experience at OU thus far, most notably enjoying the opportunity to teach a class. In the second year of her program, she taught the Fundamentals of Public Speaking and Communication Among Cultures. She admitted that at first, she struggled with the language barrier and American cultural norms as she is now, but she has created an established rapport with her students and has learned a lot over time.

Additionally, Ashiq has loved making friends from all around the world. Not only is she meeting a lot of new people from the U.S., but she has also had the opportunity to meet fellow international students.

“Because there are so many international students now, I can say I have so many nationalities as a friend circle, so that is one thing really exciting about OU,” Ashiq said.

Keamogetse Yasmine Khudu, a Ph.D. student studying counseling education and supervision, serves as the president of the International Student Union, or ISU. Khudu hails from Botswana, and said being a part of ISU has allowed her to connect with other international students and build a new home.

ISU is an umbrella institution for 18 student organizations such as the African Students’ Union and Indian Students’ Association, each representing a global identity found at OU. Khudu said one of her favorite things about ISU is its ability to connect students in its network. ISU hosts events specifically for international students, such as the upcoming trip to Columbus on Dec. 3, but Khudu said her favorite events occur when international students are celebrated at a university-wide level.

“One of my favorite moments was during the homecoming parade, and just seeing so many of us from different parts of the world holding our country flags, that means a lot,” Khudu said. “I feel like at that moment all eyes are on us. Everyone is wearing white and green and all that, the OU colors. Those flags bring something else, they just bring that beautiful pop of color.”

Diana Cahill, the director of International Student and Scholar Services and the interim director of the Office of Global Affairs, said the university celebrations of international students are initiated by student organizations.

“One of the things the students and I have been talking about, or at least in the ISU with the group, is the idea of trying to figure out ways to really make sure that we’re highlighting the students themselves,” Cahill said. “What I mean by that is trying to make sure that we’re not just saying, oh, cool outfit or their music’s neat or the food is good, which it all is, but that’s not why they’re here.”

Khudu said there is nothing she loves about her experience in the U.S. more than feeling like the international community at OU is truly interwoven into the fabric of the university.

“Those are my favorite moments, when we are celebrated, when we are recognized, when we are seen, but also, when we are heard.” — Keamogetse Yasmine Khudu, a Ph.D. student studying counseling education and supervision

“(When) we hold those spaces where we can talk about our issues, those are the moments that I actually look forward to. I don’t want to be all about events and happiness, I also want to address issues that will affect us.”

Land of the Fee

For Enders, the hardest part about studying abroad is explaining Athens to his German friends and family. However, for international students who spend their entire undergraduate or graduate career in the U.S. rather than participating in an exchange, there can be more frequent difficulties.

To study abroad, students are required to have American visas. There are two main types of U.S. visas. The first are nonimmigrant visas that indicate a person is traveling to the U.S. temporarily. The second type are immigrant visas, which are for people who will be living in the U.S. permanently.

In order for international students to study in the U.S., they must apply for student visas. To do so, they have to already be accepted into their higher education institution or program.

The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs’s website allows for students to select a U.S. Embassy or Consulate in their home country and view wait times for visa interview appointments. An interview at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate is required for people between the ages 14 and 79.

Before the interview, one must purchase the $160 application fee and gather additional documents and documentation such as a passport, the nonimmigrant visa application, application payment receipt, a photo and other forms sent by the school a student plans to attend. A consular officer conducting the interview could also ask for documentation including but not limited to academic transcripts, previous standardized test scores or their financial plan for moving.

A student visa can be issued as many as 120 days prior to the start of a program. However, international students are not allowed to travel to the U.S. on their student visa more than 30 days before the start of their study. This can make for quick planning. Enders said for his first bout in the U.S., his visa came just three days before he flew across the world.

Upon arriving at a U.S. airport, a student can still be denied entry into the country, which is a decision made by officials of the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Costums and Border Protection.

Khudu’s student visa only allows her to be employed through the school. However, OU caps student work hours to 20 per week, to ensure students prioritize their schoolwork during the semester. The cap on student work hours is a result of federal regulations, Cahill said. But during breaks, which the university considers to be during summer and winter, the cap increases to 36 hours, which was decided by the university, as there is no federally enforced limit during those periods.

“There were regulations around when an employer had to offer their own insurance,” Cahill said. “And so that cap, it’s like when you switch from part time to full time, and so students were working 40 hours a week on average for a year (and) they would be eligible for employee sponsored insurance.”

If students work more than the caps allow, they violate their immigration status and risk being deported, Cahill said.

However, International students still have bills to pay and they all add up.

“We have to pay rent and the living expenses can be too much, or a bit expensive,” Khudu said. “That's another issue that we tried to kind of talk about, but also sometimes I feel guilty because I'm like, you know, they're paying for my school, my tuition and I'm working for them. But sometimes, even trying to afford rent is a little bit difficult.”

Khudu said most students she knows often utilize school resources such as Cat’s Cupboard and they are also able to use the same resources as domestic students. Khudu said many international students also get health insurance through the school, which is an additional expense.

According to the OU International Student and Scholar Services’ website, the U.S.’s lack of universal healthcare means students either have to pay out-of-pocket for medical costs or use health insurance. However, OU already requires students to have health insurance.

The Health Insurance Policy is provided by United Healthcare Student Resources and is automatically charged to students’ tuition, according to the Student Health Insurance website. It costs a premium of $1,071 for the 2022 Fall Semester and will decrease by around $30 for the Spring Semester, according to the university’s Student Health Insurance website.

“A lot of students are coming from countries where there’s universal healthcare,” Cahill said. “Coming to a country where you go from universal healthcare where you walk into the clinic or the pharmacy or whatever and you just get what you need to a place where there’s many layers, many options, many impacts—it’s really intense.”

Another issue that arises is when international students, especially graduate students, begin to get paid for their jobs.

“Your pay as a graduate student or even as somebody working at the institution,” Cahill said. “The first payroll date is often about a month after students arrive because of just the way all of the processing works.”

The wait for payments to enter students’ accounts makes it difficult to meet payment deadlines and afford basic necessities.

“The other day I was sitting with a group of friends from different parts of Africa talking about how we came here for school and you know, life is full of struggle, so we have to kind of accept it,” Khudu said. “But sometimes I disagree with that because I cannot accept it if every single month after I receive my stipend and I pay all my bills and stuff, I'm so sad that I'm like, ‘What am I going to eat?’”

Khudu said some international students also send money to their home countries, which can cause additional financial stress.

“We have to figure out how do we pay for rent, how do you pay for certain expenses?” Khudu said. “Some people send money home to family, to parents, to the kids, so imagine having to save $100 after paying rent and paying insurance. And then you're like, how do I survive?”

Resilience in relocation

Some international students may help provide for their families, but most miss them, particularly those who complete the entirety of their degree abroad.

Enders said he gets caught up in the semester, in meeting others and in the many experiences he has, which minimizes how much he misses his family. Perhaps this is why Khudu said summer is the loneliest time of the year. With plane tickets back to Botswana priced between $1200 and $2000, traveling home is difficult, and she said she feels especially homesick when Athens dies down in the summer months.

However, throughout the year, there are always pieces of home students wish they could find. Khudu said she particularly misses the food, especially given there are few options for African cuisine in Athens.

She said sometimes she dines at African restaurants in Columbus, but the hour and fifteen minute drive mostly only brings restaurants from the opposite side of the continent from Botswana, not her homely comfort foods.

Jisoo Jin, a freshman studying international relations, said he was looking forward to enjoying authentic Japanese food from home. He said there are not a lot of places to satisfy that craving in Athens.

Ashiq is on the same page, saying that the only thing she misses more than her family is food.

“I tend to have to travel so far to actually even get like a spice from home,” Khudu said. “Or someone who's coming from home I ask them ‘hey, can you bring this box of spices or bring me this?’”

When people are able to visit, it is often few and far between. Khudu said many international students have family members in the U.S., but they are often states away. She has no family in the U.S., and the lack of familial faces in the same time zone can be particularly lonely when she’s missing home.

Khudu said missing one’s family can be particularly aching for students with children. She said she’s had conversations with international students who have kids still living abroad, describing sorrowful phone calls with kids confused about when their parents are coming home.

On top of missing home, the adjustment to a new culture can be jarring. Living in the U.S. also means adjusting to the social issues here. Khudu said one particularly tricky learning curve was understanding microaggressions, especially when they applied to her.

“I have faced a lot of microaggressions and sometimes it's too late to pick it out,” Khudu said. “I go home and I'm like, ‘what is that about?’ And then my American friend will be like, ‘yeah, that's a microaggression.’ I wouldn't pick it up quickly, because I'm not used to that where I'm from, so it’s another thing that you have to quickly be aware of.”

Similar to Khudu, Ashiq has also faced microaggressions. She said although none of them have been extremely serious, the toll builds up over time, creating a very hostile environment to live and work.

Ashiq recounted an incident when she was walking down Court Street with a friend when a man walking his dog passed them. The dog started to suddenly bark at Ashiq.

“That guy told me very explicitly to my face, ‘Oh yeah, he does not like Brown people, that’s why he’s barking,’” Ashiq said. “I think I’m very resilient, and I usually am not offended by these statements because I know these are a part of every culture.”

While international students frequently face these incidents with resilience, these adjustments, especially without familiar support systems, can become mentally exhausting.

“Now that I'm aware of what a microaggression is, I tend to sit down and kind of dwell on that which sometimes really can affect my mental health,” Khudu said.

Mental health can also be impacted when there is turmoil at home. Khudu said it is difficult when students cannot fly home for funerals or to say goodbye to loved ones. She added it was even more harrowing when there is a large-scale issue at home, citing the protests in Iran, the war in Ukraine and the Taliban’s control in Afghanistan.

“How can a student concentrate in class or even send in an assignment when they're on the phone all night with their parents trying to see if everything is okay? That’s heartbreaking to even think about.” — Keamogetse Yasmine Khudu, a Ph.D. student studying counseling education and supervision

Ashiq has a different perspective when it comes to keeping up to date with the news of her home country. Even when she was back home, she chose to not consume news and media about recent tragedies.

“I would not watch much news for two reasons,” Ashiq said. “First, because it would make me depressed. Second, I think that they always would be highlighting the negatives more than the positives because I still feel that even though all the turmoil is going on, people need that hope and positivity, and the media has a very big role to play in that which I felt was missing.”

The university does offer some emotional support for international students. Recently, OU Counseling and Psychological Services hosted a support space for Iranian students given the violent protests in their home country. The event took place Nov. 8 via Teams meeting from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. with the intention of providing a space for affected students to share their feelings. While this was a valiant effort on the university’s behalf, it can be difficult for international students to feel comfortable seeking professional help.

“Yes, we do have some resources here on campus, but some of us are from cultures where modernized counseling is not really our thing,” Khudu said. “So it takes a while for us to really reach out for help.”

Khudu is studying counseling, and noted she therefore has a good understanding of the importance of therapy, but said seeking counseling services was difficult even for her.

“Growing up I've been taught to be resilient, be strong, you know,” she said. “So having to sit down and talk to a stranger about my feelings can be hard.”

Looking forward

Spaces are being created for international students to communicate with one another to share similar experiences. Counseling and Psychological Services, or CPS, Cahill said, is leading some of these groups and can bring students together.

“One of the things students have said is that they’re already talking to each other,” Cahill said. “But sometimes they don’t want to talk about the reality of what’s going on because they don’t want to put that burden on their friend. But their friend actually understands what they’re going through."

In Athens, it is easy to get caught up in the bubble. Often, local things take precedence in students and staff’s minds because of their immediate relativity to the environment they are in. However, Khudu said she wishes there was more attention to events happening abroad, particularly from the university.

“We recognize that when things are happening back at home, yes, it might be far from us right now, but there’s definitely members who are experiencing that,” Khudu said. “A lot has been happening and I feel like the school hasn’t done anything yet.”

Instead of generally communicating about an incident in another country, Cahill said she prefers to reach out to different organizations and check on the students.

“I just think people need people. I’m sure that the statements because it does help with the other students to understand what’s going on and helps the faculty. I think those things are important. However, for me, I actually really want to make sure that the people are okay.” — Diana Cahill, the director of International Student and Scholar Services, interim director of the Office of Global Affairs

“I just think people need people,” Cahill said. “I’m sure that the statements because it does help with the other students to understand what’s going on and helps the faculty. I think those things are important. However, for me, I actually really want to make sure that the people are okay.”

Although there are different resources and offices for international students to reach out to, there are still students who hope to see more.

Khudu said she wishes there was an easier way for international students to voice concerns to the university, and more of an effort made to make international students feel heard.

“It goes back to creating a space where students can sit at a table and talk to the president of the school and say, ‘Hey, this is what we need right now from you, as our president, because you are hosting us as international students,’” Khudu said.

International students work through many hurdles in addition to the general stresses of being a college student. Even with the extra work and effort many of them have to do, Khudu said sometimes there is a feeling of being left unseen in the general university sphere.

Khudu said it can be difficult to balance acknowledging international student issues with a sense that they should not be complaining with this opportunity.

“You feel so stuck between being appreciative and then also feeling like you're being let down,” Khudu said. “I want us to be included because again, we bring a lot of rich diversity to this university. And I'd like us to feel like yeah, we are part of the university. I want to push for our existence to be recognized here as part of the Bobcats, not only during International Week, but every day.”

Enders spent his sophomore year in Athens and has now returned as a senior, continuing to study sports management. He’s enrolled at Ohio University as part of a dual program with his old school, and he said he loves the feeling of an authentic American university.

“I think it’s really (an) unfiltered American experience here,” he said. “It’s a vibe like a music festival because everybody is young and just wants to explore themselves and have fun and have a good time.”

Creating a home away from home

Enders came to the U.S. with short notice both times, which meant he did not participate in the international student orientation. Enders said the university provided him with resources such as advice on what he should bring and where he can buy items in the U.S., but otherwise he relied on the friends he made.

“My roommates helped me out greatly,” Enders said. "That's the coolest part actually. They helped me out with everything.”

Enders said he was particularly interested in studying in the U.S. to broaden his horizons and was intrigued by what he saw in movies. He said he has not been disappointed, pointing to block parties and everyone wearing OU clothing as things he had seen through Hollywood.

“Everybody's just itching to get a good experience,” Enders said. “Especially, for instance, the move in weekend. Everybody's just all smiles and excited, like, ‘Hey, what's going on here?’”

Roshni Ashiq, a grad student studying health communication, arrived in the U.S. with an open mind. Having earned two degrees in public health, she had already experienced the workforce and knew how she wanted to make a difference.

Ashiq worked in a tertiary care hospital for two years where she was mainly focused on pediatrics. Although she had an enjoyable experience, she felt pulled to the communication side of medicine to connect communities with vital resources they might not have known about.

The way Ashiq ended up at OU was a little unconventional. The Higher Education Commission of her home country of Pakistan had just begun a scholarship program for PhD studies. Ashiq applied and received the scholarship to continue with her studies in public health. Once she was approved for the scholarship, the committee recommended OU. Ashiq said that she had her sights on Scripps College of Communication due to the good reputation and rigorous course load.

“Scripps College is so far one of the best colleges when it comes to communications,” Ashiq said. “I wanted to do it, but I never knew that I would actually be able to do it– it was a dream come true thing.”

Ashiq said she has had a great experience at OU thus far, most notably enjoying the opportunity to teach a class. In the second year of her program, she taught the Fundamentals of Public Speaking and Communication Among Cultures. She admitted that at first, she struggled with the language barrier and American cultural norms as she is now, but she has created an established rapport with her students and has learned a lot over time.

Additionally, Ashiq has loved making friends from all around the world. Not only is she meeting a lot of new people from the U.S., but she has also had the opportunity to meet fellow international students.

“Because there are so many international students now, I can say I have so many nationalities as a friend circle, so that is one thing really exciting about OU,” Ashiq said.

Keamogetse Yasmine Khudu, a Ph.D. student studying counseling education and supervision, serves as the president of the International Student Union, or ISU. Khudu hails from Botswana, and said being a part of ISU has allowed her to connect with other international students and build a new home.

ISU is an umbrella institution for 18 student organizations such as the African Students’ Union and Indian Students’ Association, each representing a global identity found at OU. Khudu said one of her favorite things about ISU is its ability to connect students in its network. ISU hosts events specifically for international students, such as the upcoming trip to Columbus on Dec. 3, but Khudu said her favorite events occur when international students are celebrated at a university-wide level.

“One of my favorite moments was during the homecoming parade, and just seeing so many of us from different parts of the world holding our country flags, that means a lot,” Khudu said. “I feel like at that moment all eyes are on us. Everyone is wearing white and green and all that, the OU colors. Those flags bring something else, they just bring that beautiful pop of color.”

Diana Cahill, the director of International Student and Scholar Services and the interim director of the Office of Global Affairs, said the university celebrations of international students are initiated by student organizations.

“One of the things the students and I have been talking about, or at least in the ISU with the group, is the idea of trying to figure out ways to really make sure that we’re highlighting the students themselves,” Cahill said. “What I mean by that is trying to make sure that we’re not just saying, oh, cool outfit or their music’s neat or the food is good, which it all is, but that’s not why they’re here.”

Khudu said there is nothing she loves about her experience in the U.S. more than feeling like the international community at OU is truly interwoven into the fabric of the university.

“Those are my favorite moments, when we are celebrated, when we are recognized, when we are seen, but also, when we are heard.” — Keamogetse Yasmine Khudu, a Ph.D. student studying counseling education and supervision

“(When) we hold those spaces where we can talk about our issues, those are the moments that I actually look forward to. I don’t want to be all about events and happiness, I also want to address issues that will affect us.”

Land of the Fee

For Enders, the hardest part about studying abroad is explaining Athens to his German friends and family. However, for international students who spend their entire undergraduate or graduate career in the U.S. rather than participating in an exchange, there can be more frequent difficulties.

To study abroad, students are required to have American visas. There are two main types of U.S. visas. The first are nonimmigrant visas that indicate a person is traveling to the U.S. temporarily. The second type are immigrant visas, which are for people who will be living in the U.S. permanently.

In order for international students to study in the U.S., they must apply for student visas. To do so, they have to already be accepted into their higher education institution or program.

The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs’s website allows for students to select a U.S. Embassy or Consulate in their home country and view wait times for visa interview appointments. An interview at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate is required for people between the ages 14 and 79.

Before the interview, one must purchase the $160 application fee and gather additional documents and documentation such as a passport, the nonimmigrant visa application, application payment receipt, a photo and other forms sent by the school a student plans to attend. A consular officer conducting the interview could also ask for documentation including but not limited to academic transcripts, previous standardized test scores or their financial plan for moving.

A student visa can be issued as many as 120 days prior to the start of a program. However, international students are not allowed to travel to the U.S. on their student visa more than 30 days before the start of their study. This can make for quick planning. Enders said for his first bout in the U.S., his visa came just three days before he flew across the world.

Upon arriving at a U.S. airport, a student can still be denied entry into the country, which is a decision made by officials of the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Costums and Border Protection.

Khudu’s student visa only allows her to be employed through the school. However, OU caps student work hours to 20 per week, to ensure students prioritize their schoolwork during the semester. The cap on student work hours is a result of federal regulations, Cahill said. But during breaks, which the university considers to be during summer and winter, the cap increases to 36 hours, which was decided by the university, as there is no federally enforced limit during those periods.

“There were regulations around when an employer had to offer their own insurance,” Cahill said. “And so that cap, it’s like when you switch from part time to full time, and so students were working 40 hours a week on average for a year (and) they would be eligible for employee sponsored insurance.”

If students work more than the caps allow, they violate their immigration status and risk being deported, Cahill said.

However, International students still have bills to pay and they all add up.

“We have to pay rent and the living expenses can be too much, or a bit expensive,” Khudu said. “That's another issue that we tried to kind of talk about, but also sometimes I feel guilty because I'm like, you know, they're paying for my school, my tuition and I'm working for them. But sometimes, even trying to afford rent is a little bit difficult.”

Khudu said most students she knows often utilize school resources such as Cat’s Cupboard and they are also able to use the same resources as domestic students. Khudu said many international students also get health insurance through the school, which is an additional expense.

According to the OU International Student and Scholar Services’ website, the U.S.’s lack of universal healthcare means students either have to pay out-of-pocket for medical costs or use health insurance. However, OU already requires students to have health insurance.

The Health Insurance Policy is provided by United Healthcare Student Resources and is automatically charged to students’ tuition, according to the Student Health Insurance website. It costs a premium of $1,071 for the 2022 Fall Semester and will decrease by around $30 for the Spring Semester, according to the university’s Student Health Insurance website.

“A lot of students are coming from countries where there’s universal healthcare,” Cahill said. “Coming to a country where you go from universal healthcare where you walk into the clinic or the pharmacy or whatever and you just get what you need to a place where there’s many layers, many options, many impacts—it’s really intense.”

Another issue that arises is when international students, especially graduate students, begin to get paid for their jobs.

“Your pay as a graduate student or even as somebody working at the institution,” Cahill said. “The first payroll date is often about a month after students arrive because of just the way all of the processing works.”

The wait for payments to enter students’ accounts makes it difficult to meet payment deadlines and afford basic necessities.

“The other day I was sitting with a group of friends from different parts of Africa talking about how we came here for school and you know, life is full of struggle, so we have to kind of accept it,” Khudu said. “But sometimes I disagree with that because I cannot accept it if every single month after I receive my stipend and I pay all my bills and stuff, I'm so sad that I'm like, ‘What am I going to eat?’”

Khudu said some international students also send money to their home countries, which can cause additional financial stress.

“We have to figure out how do we pay for rent, how do you pay for certain expenses?” Khudu said. “Some people send money home to family, to parents, to the kids, so imagine having to save $100 after paying rent and paying insurance. And then you're like, how do I survive?”

Resilience in relocation

Some international students may help provide for their families, but most miss them, particularly those who complete the entirety of their degree abroad.

Enders said he gets caught up in the semester, in meeting others and in the many experiences he has, which minimizes how much he misses his family. Perhaps this is why Khudu said summer is the loneliest time of the year. With plane tickets back to Botswana priced between $1200 and $2000, traveling home is difficult, and she said she feels especially homesick when Athens dies down in the summer months.

However, throughout the year, there are always pieces of home students wish they could find. Khudu said she particularly misses the food, especially given there are few options for African cuisine in Athens.

She said sometimes she dines at African restaurants in Columbus, but the hour and fifteen minute drive mostly only brings restaurants from the opposite side of the continent from Botswana, not her homely comfort foods.

Jisoo Jin, a freshman studying international relations, said he was looking forward to enjoying authentic Japanese food from home. He said there are not a lot of places to satisfy that craving in Athens.

Ashiq is on the same page, saying that the only thing she misses more than her family is food.

“I tend to have to travel so far to actually even get like a spice from home,” Khudu said. “Or someone who's coming from home I ask them ‘hey, can you bring this box of spices or bring me this?’”

When people are able to visit, it is often few and far between. Khudu said many international students have family members in the U.S., but they are often states away. She has no family in the U.S., and the lack of familial faces in the same time zone can be particularly lonely when she’s missing home.

Khudu said missing one’s family can be particularly aching for students with children. She said she’s had conversations with international students who have kids still living abroad, describing sorrowful phone calls with kids confused about when their parents are coming home.

On top of missing home, the adjustment to a new culture can be jarring. Living in the U.S. also means adjusting to the social issues here. Khudu said one particularly tricky learning curve was understanding microaggressions, especially when they applied to her.

“I have faced a lot of microaggressions and sometimes it's too late to pick it out,” Khudu said. “I go home and I'm like, ‘what is that about?’ And then my American friend will be like, ‘yeah, that's a microaggression.’ I wouldn't pick it up quickly, because I'm not used to that where I'm from, so it’s another thing that you have to quickly be aware of.”

Similar to Khudu, Ashiq has also faced microaggressions. She said although none of them have been extremely serious, the toll builds up over time, creating a very hostile environment to live and work.

Ashiq recounted an incident when she was walking down Court Street with a friend when a man walking his dog passed them. The dog started to suddenly bark at Ashiq.

“That guy told me very explicitly to my face, ‘Oh yeah, he does not like Brown people, that’s why he’s barking,’” Ashiq said. “I think I’m very resilient, and I usually am not offended by these statements because I know these are a part of every culture.”

While international students frequently face these incidents with resilience, these adjustments, especially without familiar support systems, can become mentally exhausting.

“Now that I'm aware of what a microaggression is, I tend to sit down and kind of dwell on that which sometimes really can affect my mental health,” Khudu said.

Mental health can also be impacted when there is turmoil at home. Khudu said it is difficult when students cannot fly home for funerals or to say goodbye to loved ones. She added it was even more harrowing when there is a large-scale issue at home, citing the protests in Iran, the war in Ukraine and the Taliban’s control in Afghanistan.

“How can a student concentrate in class or even send in an assignment when they're on the phone all night with their parents trying to see if everything is okay? That’s heartbreaking to even think about.” — Keamogetse Yasmine Khudu, a Ph.D. student studying counseling education and supervision

Ashiq has a different perspective when it comes to keeping up to date with the news of her home country. Even when she was back home, she chose to not consume news and media about recent tragedies.

“I would not watch much news for two reasons,” Ashiq said. “First, because it would make me depressed. Second, I think that they always would be highlighting the negatives more than the positives because I still feel that even though all the turmoil is going on, people need that hope and positivity, and the media has a very big role to play in that which I felt was missing.”

The university does offer some emotional support for international students. Recently, OU Counseling and Psychological Services hosted a support space for Iranian students given the violent protests in their home country. The event took place Nov. 8 via Teams meeting from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. with the intention of providing a space for affected students to share their feelings. While this was a valiant effort on the university’s behalf, it can be difficult for international students to feel comfortable seeking professional help.

“Yes, we do have some resources here on campus, but some of us are from cultures where modernized counseling is not really our thing,” Khudu said. “So it takes a while for us to really reach out for help.”

Khudu is studying counseling, and noted she therefore has a good understanding of the importance of therapy, but said seeking counseling services was difficult even for her.

“Growing up I've been taught to be resilient, be strong, you know,” she said. “So having to sit down and talk to a stranger about my feelings can be hard.”

Looking forward

Spaces are being created for international students to communicate with one another to share similar experiences. Counseling and Psychological Services, or CPS, Cahill said, is leading some of these groups and can bring students together.

“One of the things students have said is that they’re already talking to each other,” Cahill said. “But sometimes they don’t want to talk about the reality of what’s going on because they don’t want to put that burden on their friend. But their friend actually understands what they’re going through."

In Athens, it is easy to get caught up in the bubble. Often, local things take precedence in students and staff’s minds because of their immediate relativity to the environment they are in. However, Khudu said she wishes there was more attention to events happening abroad, particularly from the university.

“We recognize that when things are happening back at home, yes, it might be far from us right now, but there’s definitely members who are experiencing that,” Khudu said. “A lot has been happening and I feel like the school hasn’t done anything yet.”

Instead of generally communicating about an incident in another country, Cahill said she prefers to reach out to different organizations and check on the students.

“I just think people need people. I’m sure that the statements because it does help with the other students to understand what’s going on and helps the faculty. I think those things are important. However, for me, I actually really want to make sure that the people are okay.” — Diana Cahill, the director of International Student and Scholar Services, interim director of the Office of Global Affairs

“I just think people need people,” Cahill said. “I’m sure that the statements because it does help with the other students to understand what’s going on and helps the faculty. I think those things are important. However, for me, I actually really want to make sure that the people are okay.”

Although there are different resources and offices for international students to reach out to, there are still students who hope to see more.

Khudu said she wishes there was an easier way for international students to voice concerns to the university, and more of an effort made to make international students feel heard.

“It goes back to creating a space where students can sit at a table and talk to the president of the school and say, ‘Hey, this is what we need right now from you, as our president, because you are hosting us as international students,’” Khudu said.

International students work through many hurdles in addition to the general stresses of being a college student. Even with the extra work and effort many of them have to do, Khudu said sometimes there is a feeling of being left unseen in the general university sphere.

Khudu said it can be difficult to balance acknowledging international student issues with a sense that they should not be complaining with this opportunity.

“You feel so stuck between being appreciative and then also feeling like you're being let down,” Khudu said. “I want us to be included because again, we bring a lot of rich diversity to this university. And I'd like us to feel like yeah, we are part of the university. I want to push for our existence to be recognized here as part of the Bobcats, not only during International Week, but every day.”

Enders spent his sophomore year in Athens and has now returned as a senior, continuing to study sports management. He’s enrolled at Ohio University as part of a dual program with his old school, and he said he loves the feeling of an authentic American university.

“I think it’s really (an) unfiltered American experience here,” he said. “It’s a vibe like a music festival because everybody is young and just wants to explore themselves and have fun and have a good time.”

Creating a home away from home

Enders came to the U.S. with short notice both times, which meant he did not participate in the international student orientation. Enders said the university provided him with resources such as advice on what he should bring and where he can buy items in the U.S., but otherwise he relied on the friends he made.

“My roommates helped me out greatly,” Enders said. "That's the coolest part actually. They helped me out with everything.”

Enders said he was particularly interested in studying in the U.S. to broaden his horizons and was intrigued by what he saw in movies. He said he has not been disappointed, pointing to block parties and everyone wearing OU clothing as things he had seen through Hollywood.

“Everybody's just itching to get a good experience,” Enders said. “Especially, for instance, the move in weekend. Everybody's just all smiles and excited, like, ‘Hey, what's going on here?’”

Roshni Ashiq, a grad student studying health communication, arrived in the U.S. with an open mind. Having earned two degrees in public health, she had already experienced the workforce and knew how she wanted to make a difference.

Ashiq worked in a tertiary care hospital for two years where she was mainly focused on pediatrics. Although she had an enjoyable experience, she felt pulled to the communication side of medicine to connect communities with vital resources they might not have known about.

The way Ashiq ended up at OU was a little unconventional. The Higher Education Commission of her home country of Pakistan had just begun a scholarship program for PhD studies. Ashiq applied and received the scholarship to continue with her studies in public health. Once she was approved for the scholarship, the committee recommended OU. Ashiq said that she had her sights on Scripps College of Communication due to the good reputation and rigorous course load.

“Scripps College is so far one of the best colleges when it comes to communications,” Ashiq said. “I wanted to do it, but I never knew that I would actually be able to do it– it was a dream come true thing.”

Ashiq said she has had a great experience at OU thus far, most notably enjoying the opportunity to teach a class. In the second year of her program, she taught the Fundamentals of Public Speaking and Communication Among Cultures. She admitted that at first, she struggled with the language barrier and American cultural norms as she is now, but she has created an established rapport with her students and has learned a lot over time.

Additionally, Ashiq has loved making friends from all around the world. Not only is she meeting a lot of new people from the U.S., but she has also had the opportunity to meet fellow international students.

“Because there are so many international students now, I can say I have so many nationalities as a friend circle, so that is one thing really exciting about OU,” Ashiq said.

Keamogetse Yasmine Khudu, a Ph.D. student studying counseling education and supervision, serves as the president of the International Student Union, or ISU. Khudu hails from Botswana, and said being a part of ISU has allowed her to connect with other international students and build a new home.

ISU is an umbrella institution for 18 student organizations such as the African Students’ Union and Indian Students’ Association, each representing a global identity found at OU. Khudu said one of her favorite things about ISU is its ability to connect students in its network. ISU hosts events specifically for international students, such as the upcoming trip to Columbus on Dec. 3, but Khudu said her favorite events occur when international students are celebrated at a university-wide level.

“One of my favorite moments was during the homecoming parade, and just seeing so many of us from different parts of the world holding our country flags, that means a lot,” Khudu said. “I feel like at that moment all eyes are on us. Everyone is wearing white and green and all that, the OU colors. Those flags bring something else, they just bring that beautiful pop of color.”

Diana Cahill, the director of International Student and Scholar Services and the interim director of the Office of Global Affairs, said the university celebrations of international students are initiated by student organizations.

“One of the things the students and I have been talking about, or at least in the ISU with the group, is the idea of trying to figure out ways to really make sure that we’re highlighting the students themselves,” Cahill said. “What I mean by that is trying to make sure that we’re not just saying, oh, cool outfit or their music’s neat or the food is good, which it all is, but that’s not why they’re here.”

Khudu said there is nothing she loves about her experience in the U.S. more than feeling like the international community at OU is truly interwoven into the fabric of the university.

“Those are my favorite moments, when we are celebrated, when we are recognized, when we are seen, but also, when we are heard.” — Keamogetse Yasmine Khudu, a Ph.D. student studying counseling education and supervision

“(When) we hold those spaces where we can talk about our issues, those are the moments that I actually look forward to. I don’t want to be all about events and happiness, I also want to address issues that will affect us.”

Land of the Fee

For Enders, the hardest part about studying abroad is explaining Athens to his German friends and family. However, for international students who spend their entire undergraduate or graduate career in the U.S. rather than participating in an exchange, there can be more frequent difficulties.

To study abroad, students are required to have American visas. There are two main types of U.S. visas. The first are nonimmigrant visas that indicate a person is traveling to the U.S. temporarily. The second type are immigrant visas, which are for people who will be living in the U.S. permanently.

In order for international students to study in the U.S., they must apply for student visas. To do so, they have to already be accepted into their higher education institution or program.

The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs’s website allows for students to select a U.S. Embassy or Consulate in their home country and view wait times for visa interview appointments. An interview at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate is required for people between the ages 14 and 79.

Before the interview, one must purchase the $160 application fee and gather additional documents and documentation such as a passport, the nonimmigrant visa application, application payment receipt, a photo and other forms sent by the school a student plans to attend. A consular officer conducting the interview could also ask for documentation including but not limited to academic transcripts, previous standardized test scores or their financial plan for moving.

A student visa can be issued as many as 120 days prior to the start of a program. However, international students are not allowed to travel to the U.S. on their student visa more than 30 days before the start of their study. This can make for quick planning. Enders said for his first bout in the U.S., his visa came just three days before he flew across the world.

Upon arriving at a U.S. airport, a student can still be denied entry into the country, which is a decision made by officials of the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Costums and Border Protection.

Khudu’s student visa only allows her to be employed through the school. However, OU caps student work hours to 20 per week, to ensure students prioritize their schoolwork during the semester. The cap on student work hours is a result of federal regulations, Cahill said. But during breaks, which the university considers to be during summer and winter, the cap increases to 36 hours, which was decided by the university, as there is no federally enforced limit during those periods.

“There were regulations around when an employer had to offer their own insurance,” Cahill said. “And so that cap, it’s like when you switch from part time to full time, and so students were working 40 hours a week on average for a year (and) they would be eligible for employee sponsored insurance.”

If students work more than the caps allow, they violate their immigration status and risk being deported, Cahill said.

However, International students still have bills to pay and they all add up.

“We have to pay rent and the living expenses can be too much, or a bit expensive,” Khudu said. “That's another issue that we tried to kind of talk about, but also sometimes I feel guilty because I'm like, you know, they're paying for my school, my tuition and I'm working for them. But sometimes, even trying to afford rent is a little bit difficult.”

Khudu said most students she knows often utilize school resources such as Cat’s Cupboard and they are also able to use the same resources as domestic students. Khudu said many international students also get health insurance through the school, which is an additional expense.

According to the OU International Student and Scholar Services’ website, the U.S.’s lack of universal healthcare means students either have to pay out-of-pocket for medical costs or use health insurance. However, OU already requires students to have health insurance.

The Health Insurance Policy is provided by United Healthcare Student Resources and is automatically charged to students’ tuition, according to the Student Health Insurance website. It costs a premium of $1,071 for the 2022 Fall Semester and will decrease by around $30 for the Spring Semester, according to the university’s Student Health Insurance website.

“A lot of students are coming from countries where there’s universal healthcare,” Cahill said. “Coming to a country where you go from universal healthcare where you walk into the clinic or the pharmacy or whatever and you just get what you need to a place where there’s many layers, many options, many impacts—it’s really intense.”

Another issue that arises is when international students, especially graduate students, begin to get paid for their jobs.

“Your pay as a graduate student or even as somebody working at the institution,” Cahill said. “The first payroll date is often about a month after students arrive because of just the way all of the processing works.”

The wait for payments to enter students’ accounts makes it difficult to meet payment deadlines and afford basic necessities.

“The other day I was sitting with a group of friends from different parts of Africa talking about how we came here for school and you know, life is full of struggle, so we have to kind of accept it,” Khudu said. “But sometimes I disagree with that because I cannot accept it if every single month after I receive my stipend and I pay all my bills and stuff, I'm so sad that I'm like, ‘What am I going to eat?’”

Khudu said some international students also send money to their home countries, which can cause additional financial stress.

“We have to figure out how do we pay for rent, how do you pay for certain expenses?” Khudu said. “Some people send money home to family, to parents, to the kids, so imagine having to save $100 after paying rent and paying insurance. And then you're like, how do I survive?”

Resilience in relocation

Some international students may help provide for their families, but most miss them, particularly those who complete the entirety of their degree abroad.

Enders said he gets caught up in the semester, in meeting others and in the many experiences he has, which minimizes how much he misses his family. Perhaps this is why Khudu said summer is the loneliest time of the year. With plane tickets back to Botswana priced between $1200 and $2000, traveling home is difficult, and she said she feels especially homesick when Athens dies down in the summer months.

However, throughout the year, there are always pieces of home students wish they could find. Khudu said she particularly misses the food, especially given there are few options for African cuisine in Athens.

She said sometimes she dines at African restaurants in Columbus, but the hour and fifteen minute drive mostly only brings restaurants from the opposite side of the continent from Botswana, not her homely comfort foods.

Jisoo Jin, a freshman studying international relations, said he was looking forward to enjoying authentic Japanese food from home. He said there are not a lot of places to satisfy that craving in Athens.

Ashiq is on the same page, saying that the only thing she misses more than her family is food.

“I tend to have to travel so far to actually even get like a spice from home,” Khudu said. “Or someone who's coming from home I ask them ‘hey, can you bring this box of spices or bring me this?’”

When people are able to visit, it is often few and far between. Khudu said many international students have family members in the U.S., but they are often states away. She has no family in the U.S., and the lack of familial faces in the same time zone can be particularly lonely when she’s missing home.

Khudu said missing one’s family can be particularly aching for students with children. She said she’s had conversations with international students who have kids still living abroad, describing sorrowful phone calls with kids confused about when their parents are coming home.

On top of missing home, the adjustment to a new culture can be jarring. Living in the U.S. also means adjusting to the social issues here. Khudu said one particularly tricky learning curve was understanding microaggressions, especially when they applied to her.

“I have faced a lot of microaggressions and sometimes it's too late to pick it out,” Khudu said. “I go home and I'm like, ‘what is that about?’ And then my American friend will be like, ‘yeah, that's a microaggression.’ I wouldn't pick it up quickly, because I'm not used to that where I'm from, so it’s another thing that you have to quickly be aware of.”

Similar to Khudu, Ashiq has also faced microaggressions. She said although none of them have been extremely serious, the toll builds up over time, creating a very hostile environment to live and work.

Ashiq recounted an incident when she was walking down Court Street with a friend when a man walking his dog passed them. The dog started to suddenly bark at Ashiq.

“That guy told me very explicitly to my face, ‘Oh yeah, he does not like Brown people, that’s why he’s barking,’” Ashiq said. “I think I’m very resilient, and I usually am not offended by these statements because I know these are a part of every culture.”

While international students frequently face these incidents with resilience, these adjustments, especially without familiar support systems, can become mentally exhausting.

“Now that I'm aware of what a microaggression is, I tend to sit down and kind of dwell on that which sometimes really can affect my mental health,” Khudu said.

Mental health can also be impacted when there is turmoil at home. Khudu said it is difficult when students cannot fly home for funerals or to say goodbye to loved ones. She added it was even more harrowing when there is a large-scale issue at home, citing the protests in Iran, the war in Ukraine and the Taliban’s control in Afghanistan.

“How can a student concentrate in class or even send in an assignment when they're on the phone all night with their parents trying to see if everything is okay? That’s heartbreaking to even think about.” — Keamogetse Yasmine Khudu, a Ph.D. student studying counseling education and supervision

Ashiq has a different perspective when it comes to keeping up to date with the news of her home country. Even when she was back home, she chose to not consume news and media about recent tragedies.

“I would not watch much news for two reasons,” Ashiq said. “First, because it would make me depressed. Second, I think that they always would be highlighting the negatives more than the positives because I still feel that even though all the turmoil is going on, people need that hope and positivity, and the media has a very big role to play in that which I felt was missing.”

The university does offer some emotional support for international students. Recently, OU Counseling and Psychological Services hosted a support space for Iranian students given the violent protests in their home country. The event took place Nov. 8 via Teams meeting from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. with the intention of providing a space for affected students to share their feelings. While this was a valiant effort on the university’s behalf, it can be difficult for international students to feel comfortable seeking professional help.

“Yes, we do have some resources here on campus, but some of us are from cultures where modernized counseling is not really our thing,” Khudu said. “So it takes a while for us to really reach out for help.”

Khudu is studying counseling, and noted she therefore has a good understanding of the importance of therapy, but said seeking counseling services was difficult even for her.

“Growing up I've been taught to be resilient, be strong, you know,” she said. “So having to sit down and talk to a stranger about my feelings can be hard.”

Looking forward

Spaces are being created for international students to communicate with one another to share similar experiences. Counseling and Psychological Services, or CPS, Cahill said, is leading some of these groups and can bring students together.

“One of the things students have said is that they’re already talking to each other,” Cahill said. “But sometimes they don’t want to talk about the reality of what’s going on because they don’t want to put that burden on their friend. But their friend actually understands what they’re going through."

In Athens, it is easy to get caught up in the bubble. Often, local things take precedence in students and staff’s minds because of their immediate relativity to the environment they are in. However, Khudu said she wishes there was more attention to events happening abroad, particularly from the university.

“We recognize that when things are happening back at home, yes, it might be far from us right now, but there’s definitely members who are experiencing that,” Khudu said. “A lot has been happening and I feel like the school hasn’t done anything yet.”

Instead of generally communicating about an incident in another country, Cahill said she prefers to reach out to different organizations and check on the students.

“I just think people need people. I’m sure that the statements because it does help with the other students to understand what’s going on and helps the faculty. I think those things are important. However, for me, I actually really want to make sure that the people are okay.” — Diana Cahill, the director of International Student and Scholar Services, interim director of the Office of Global Affairs

“I just think people need people,” Cahill said. “I’m sure that the statements because it does help with the other students to understand what’s going on and helps the faculty. I think those things are important. However, for me, I actually really want to make sure that the people are okay.”

Although there are different resources and offices for international students to reach out to, there are still students who hope to see more.

Khudu said she wishes there was an easier way for international students to voice concerns to the university, and more of an effort made to make international students feel heard.

“It goes back to creating a space where students can sit at a table and talk to the president of the school and say, ‘Hey, this is what we need right now from you, as our president, because you are hosting us as international students,’” Khudu said.

International students work through many hurdles in addition to the general stresses of being a college student. Even with the extra work and effort many of them have to do, Khudu said sometimes there is a feeling of being left unseen in the general university sphere.

Khudu said it can be difficult to balance acknowledging international student issues with a sense that they should not be complaining with this opportunity.

“You feel so stuck between being appreciative and then also feeling like you're being let down,” Khudu said. “I want us to be included because again, we bring a lot of rich diversity to this university. And I'd like us to feel like yeah, we are part of the university. I want to push for our existence to be recognized here as part of the Bobcats, not only during International Week, but every day.”