I spent eight months applying to a new school, filling out forms for student housing and meals, selecting courses and paying fees. I left my home, my family, every friend I’ve made and every person I’ve ever met.
Every year, thousands of incoming freshman arrive on LSU’s campus dealing with similar issues. But I don’t count myself among that number.
This semester, I’m dual enrolled at LSU and VU University Amsterdam in the Netherlands, where I’m spending my second-to-last semester of college studying abroad.
Yes, I sacrificed my final
football season as a student. I gave up potential internship opportunities, campus leadership roles and the chance to graduate early. I’ve suffered cellphone withdrawals, Netflix denial, language barriers and seven-hour-naps induced by jet lag.
But by the end of my second day in Europe, I’d met people from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, England, Germany, Norway, South Africa, Sweden and many more countries throughout Europe and the world. I’d spent 16 Euros on beer and had drunkenly typed a list of discussion topics in my iPod, including “What’s wrong with America according to transient European youth.”
Unlike residence halls, the student housing units here come with a mini-fridge, a pub and a pet policy that basically amounts to “we don’t care what lives in your room.”
If you are one of thousands of University freshmen or transplants, I feel you. Starting fresh is difficult, making friends is intimidating and if you think words like y’all, “lagniappe” and “creole” are troublesome, try “alstublieft (please),” “broodje (sandwich)” and “slaapkamer (bedroom).”
But wherever you are in your college career, I’d like to welcome you to the opening of the new school year. I’ll be appearing regularly on these pages to share cultural comparisons between my collegiate experiences in the states and the European school I now attend, as well as the world views of the international students I get to know in the coming months.
The people, programs and activities I’ve encountered wouldn’t function without an unspoken agreement to keep an open mind. Everyone is out of their comfort zone, and it takes courage to cold-call new friends in the shared hallways, kitchens and strangely enough, even the bathrooms.
Students should have the same openness everywhere, when meeting freshmen, new students and when beginning a new school year — be it in Europe or back home in Louisiana.
When I started at LSU in the fall of 2010, my only close new friend was the roommate with whom I shared a small space in the Pentagon. I had no problem eating meals alone in The 5 or avoiding clusters of people in classrooms. I was satisfied to call up my high school friends at the end of the day.
But that isn’t much of an option when your friends are across the ocean. The time difference alone is excuse enough to reach out to new people. And who wouldn’t want to listen to different worldviews on topics as mundane as lunch and as complex as abortion, especially when delivered in accents just as diverse?
I’m not cutting ties, for now, though I’m about 4,800 miles away and seven hours ahead of the University campus. I’m staying connected to my fellow LSU students, faculty and local community members, as well as my personal relationships with friends and family.
In the meantime, I expect to be overwhelmed with my experiences here but come away with a better understanding of foreign perspectives — a goal college students everywhere should be prioritizing.
Morgan Searles is a 21-year-old mass communication senior from Baton Rouge.