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Living
Abroad
A second problem you must expect to meet is the difficulty of living in another culture, far away from home, family and friends. Asian students who have studied abroad talk of their loneliness there and refer to it as part of `the price' of an overseas qualification. This cost, of course, has to be balanced against the positive aspects of the experience. But it is a cost which has to be borne.
To some extent, again, you can prepare yourself in advance by finding out as much as you can about the country, the city, and the university or college to which you are going. You may be able to attend an orientation course before you leave home. You can seek out people who have returned from study abroad and learn from
Their experiences. There are practical things you can learn to do. If you know, for example, that you are going to have to cook for yourself or that there are certain dishes which you really enjoy, then get someone at home to teach you how to cook. Many of your fellow students overseas will be only too willing to exchange language lessons for a meal of chicken biryani or a dish of nasi goreng.
On arrival at your college you will probably find there are already students there from your own country who will be ready to help you settle in. A Malaysian Law student made the point:
I suggest that a good way of building up confidence is by talking to other Asians (oldies). They are the people who can give really good tips as they too had to undergo the same problems at the beginning.
Also many colleges have special organizations for overseas student to help them meet other students and make new friends. Here are the comments of two more Asian undergraduates:
Adaptation to life here was the first acute problem that I encountered
when I just
landed here in ANU in March 1980. Everything was just not right;
food, friends, weather, you name it - everything was a problem then.
To add to my misery any homesickness, the weather was of no help,
especially during the winter when I really get miserable. Then
luckily things made a good turn for me as I started to find my way
around and started to win precious friendship.
eat raw lettuce
relationships with Australian
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