Before coming here I felt like different parts
of the US would be different, so I had admission
to colleges in New York, and I thought “well
New York is hustle-y bustle-y and people might
be rude because they’re super busy getting
to wherever they’re going”.
Going on the International Study Center’s
website reading about JMU, where they hold
the doors open for you, I felt that would
be the place I would want to be as a foreigner
in a different country.
I would want to be in a place that’s warm
and welcoming, and that has been my experience
thus far here at JMU.
I am currently doing an internship with the
Northern Virginia Human Trafficking task force,
and they’re based in Alexandria, and the
work that I’m doing for them, for my internship
project, is basically compiling the task forces
in the US and their basic information as well
as resources, how they get grants, putting
information together to help with collaborations
and so I’m just doing work that’s going
to help facilitate that.
Having classes where it was all international
students there was less self-conscious-ness
than if I were thrust into a class of American
students from the get-go.
I would have definitely been hesitant to raise
my hand, ask questions, and think “well,
I have a bit of an accent, people are going
to look at me weird” or anything like that,
so it was just really that environment to
blossom and get more comfortable and confident
with the new environment I found myself in.
