Studying abroad at Ball State: a Saudi's perspective

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Khalaf Alzahrani is a graduate student studying computer science is a guest columnist for the Daily News. He shares he students his perspective on what it's like to be an international student at Ball State. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Khalaf at kalzahrani@bsu.edu.

Khalaf Alzahrani

2013 was the year that my government accepted me for a scholarship, and I will never forget that year. Studying abroad is an experience unlike any other. I traveled to the United States with no other commitments but to study and learn about new cultures. The government of Saudi Arabia sends its citizens to study abroad in many countries, such as America, England, Canada, Japan and many others so we can bring back the experience of other cultures to further develop our beautiful country.

On the one hand, I was super excited about getting a scholarship to study here because I could finally follow my dream. On the other hand, my biggest fear when I made the decision to go was that I would lose my good friends and miss my family. I had never been out of Saudi Arabia, so I was scared about a new adventure, life, culture and experience. I decided to read about the United States to prepare for everything.

Although I was ready for my new experience, I forgot to study the English language before I came to the U.S. I have a funny story about this when I used to live in California. I had a nice American neighbor who invited me to his apartment often, and one day, when I was about to leave his apartment, I thanked him for his invitation. Because of the language barrier, instead of saying “I will call you tomorrow,” I said “I will kill you.” Fortunately, he just laughed because he knew what I meant.

The most surprising thing happened when I arrived in Muncie. As we all know, Saudi Arabia and California do not have snow. That being said, I have struggled with the weather here in Indiana, and especially Muncie. When I arrived to Indiana, I did not have warm clothes because California is warmer than here. So, the first day I wore three t-shirts and I went to school for orientation. It was super cold and the snow was everywhere. I waited outside for the bus for about 30 minutes and I felt like I was about to freeze and die. I went back home and I missed the first day. The next day I paid someone to drive me school and I had to explain everything to my advisor. Fortunately, he understood and let me attend the second day. Also, I stayed in the hotel for 15 days because it was hard to find taxies in Muncie from the place I lived. I spent around $1000 on that.

I should be thankful that we have a Saudi organization here in Muncie. They helped me a lot after I found their page on Facebook. Now, I have a car and I volunteer to help new students who come from my country because I know how it feels to arrive in the U.S for the first time, and in Muncie especially.

In January 2014, I started attending Ball State for my first semester. It is much bigger and more organized than the University of California, Riverside, where I had previously attended. I feel like I have made lifelong friends here.

I’ve learned a lot of lessons from my stay in the U.S. Not only have I learned academic lessons, but I have also learned a lot about other cultures and myself. Eventually I will transfer what I have learned from here to my country as appreciation for the opportunity my government has given me.

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