Introduction
Since the origin of the universe man has always existed as a community due to various reasons.
It is always said that no man is an island. People have a tendency of forming groups or communities that range from small group such as the family set up to a large one such as a country or a religious group. Different communities arise due to different reasons such as common interests or common challenges that they face in life. I have been an international student for more than two years and I have interacted with other international students as a community. This paper explores the international student as a community.
International students as a community
International students that come from all over the world to study in the United States have very many challenges. These challenges are usually the origin of the international student as a community. We have similar challenges such as adapting to the culture of the host country, language barrier, religious conflicts, and constitutional rights among others.
One of the things that bring us get together as a community is culture conflict. We live in a community where culture is totally different from our homeland in terms of dressing, meals, language and even religious beliefs. This often demands that international students from the same country come together to form a community. We usually have arrangements to meet with other student from different colleges who come from the same country and get to share about our challenges, experiences and even fantasies about our lives in foreign land. These are usually the happiest times when one feels at home with people who you share common origin. International student community is best felt when the international students from the same country meet during cultural shows that are usually organized from time to time. An example is the wonderful Chinese culture night that happens once in a while in different parts of the country. International students from China are always present to remind themselves of their beautiful culture and also to meet with other Chinese people.
When we meet we usually have a very wonderful time dancing to Chinese music and also sharing traditional delicacies with other Chinese students. International student community can be seen in the college set up whereby international students from the same origin tend to stick together as a group due to various college challenges such as language barrier, stereotyping, alienation, and misunderstanding among others. I always find myself in a group of other students who come from my country. Different colleges have allowed the formation of international student organizations such as Chinese students’ organization. These organizations are usually very important since they act as avenues for expressing grievances for international students as a community to the college administration. In most instances students from the same country share the same religion affiliation. International students will often form a community whereby they can be able to exercise their cultural rituals together and this makes them come together as a community. Chinese students will always meet as a community to pray and perform religious rituals since they may not be accommodated into other religions.
International students as a community attracts specialized services due to their unique needs as international students. A good example is International student health insurance & medical insurance for non-US citizens in America which provides insurance services for international student community in the United States. This indicates how unique the international student community is in terms of their needs. The global community recognizes them as a unique community (Winstrom 1). At the global level there are international student forums such as AIESEC (International Association of Students in Economics and Business Management) which is a non profit organization managed by international students whose objective is to develop leaders from students from all over the world. The AIESEC website provides an interactive forum for all the students where they can discuss different issues such as business and leadership. This reflects international students as a community.
International students’ community is also present in the social websites such as Facebook and tweeter. International students from different countries form groups where they can chat and communicate with other students from their motherland country. Social sites are usually a very nice platform for meeting with other students especially when meetings might interfere with education. International student association (ISA) of University of Mississippi is a student run organization for all international students usually open to all the students that may be interested in different countries and cultures. ISA as an international students’ community arranges various interesting programs for making the international students exited and enthusiastic about college life by organizing different exiting events such as tournaments, movies and trips (Winstrom 1).
Conclusion
Communities are an integral part of the society indeed the whole universe can be seen as a community. Different communities form due to different reasons such as common challenges and interests. International students have been described as a society due to their unique needs, challenges and interests.
The community is well structured in colleges as international students’ organizations, found in social sites. They also hold religious functions together as a community. They also attract specialized services such as international students insurance for student living in America. They can be found in functions such as international cultural gatherings. International students are thus a very important and interesting community in the global society.
Work Cited
Winstrom, Elen.
The Disadvantages of Studying Abroad for International Students. Bright Hub, 2010. Web. 05 March 2011.
