International students head home for the holidays
Bethany Harbison
Issue date: 11/29/07 Section: News
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While nearly 93 percent of Jacksonville State University students enrolled in the fall of 2006 lived nearby in Alabama or Georgia, JSU was also home to 233 international students that same year. Students from the most far-reaching corners of the world gather at JSU to study and soak up American culture, but when school ceases for holiday breaks, international students are faced with a dilemma.
According to Arai, international students have several options for the holidays ahead. They can dole out the cash for the voyage home, remain in JSU housing over the break or participate in a homestay program.
Freshman Katelyn Shults of Athens, Ala., lives in JSU's International House with 39 other students from the United States and around the world. Shults explained that most of her international friends intend to return to their home country for winter break, but that finances do prevent some from making the journey, leaving them to stay in the house. Shults said that though her time in the International House has expanded her horizons, it is still difficult to imagine what it must be like for students to spend the holidays away from family.
"It would be very hard to spend the holidays without my family because we are very close and have always spent every holiday together," Shults said. "The most difficult part would be seeing other families celebrating together and knowing that I (was) not able to experience that same joy.
Because the majority of international students do not live in the International House, JSU's University Housing seeks to accommodate students who need to live on campus year-round.
Though most residence halls close their doors to residents during winter break, the university-owned apartments and Sparkman Hall, JSU's largest co-ed facility, remain open.
"By keeping Sparkman open all year long, we give ourselves the flexibility to offer more students the opportunity to stay," said Residence Life Coordinator Brooke Bell, who presides over Patterson and Logan Halls. "Using Sparkman eliminates the need to keep two buildings open for few students needing housing during breaks."
Bell estimated that most international students live in Sparkman, but that those living in other halls can reap the rewards of year-round housing as well. Bell explained that such students can submit an application for winter housing in the university's housing office.
Though he is headed home to Japan this Christmas, last year he participated in a homestay program. The Atlanta English for Internationals program, along with similar programs strewn across the nation, seeks to immerse international students in American culture by placing them with American families for a few weeks at a time.
Arai, along with one other Japanese student, spent the holidays with a family. Arai said that sightseeing was involved as well, and that he visited sites like the Coco-cola plant and Georgia's state capital.
For shorter breaks like Thanksgiving, most international students vouch to remain stateside. All residence halls remain open for Thanksgiving break, a practice that, according to Bell, has been in place for three years.
Arai headed to Georgia this year with his friend and fellow student, Justin Swords, to experience a traditional Thanksgiving. He credits his friends, many of whom he met at JSU's Baptist Campus Ministries, for much of his positive experiences in America. Like most international students, Arai does not have a car, but he said he has good friends that he can rely on for transportation. He knows that for many international students, this is simply not the case.
"I think I am just lucky," Arai said.
A devout Christian, Bethany Harbison is the Copy Editor of The Chanticleer. She can be reached at (256) 782-8192 or at chantycopy@gmail.com. You can read her weekly blog on faith at bethanyharbison.blogspot.com.
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