Working as a volunteer in the Fayetteville community has been a wonderful experience. I decided to volunteer at the Fayetteville Public Library because I had heard a lot of good things about the library. I searched an opportunity online. As soon as I found their contact information, I approached the library to inquire regarding volunteer positions. They quickly responded to me and set up an interview schedule. When I visited the library for the first time, I was very excited to see the facility of the library and learn more regarding the opportunity. I liked the welcoming atmosphere. We had an interview and they kindly offered me a chance to volunteer at the library.

On my first day to start working, my supervisor explained me tasks and genuinely taught me various responsibilities as a librarian. I learned that my duty was to reorganize DVDs and CDs for the children’s section. She introduced me to her colleagues and I could learn more about the work environment at the Fayetteville Public Library. It was a friendly workplace, but also a highly professional work environment. All staff members I met were very helpful, and I felt very welcomed by them. My time to volunteer was only 10 hours but I learnt a lot from those hours; being efficient, being punctual, communicating well with other staff and, of course, the meaning of community service.

It was a wonderful experience to volunteer in the library, a very educational setting in the community. Through the 10 hours community service, I experienced a little bit of working atmosphere in the United State. I observed their commitment and dedication of the library team to the education in the Fayetteville community and it inspired me to implement what I learned when I go back to Pakistan.

by Sonia Sadaf

Sonia has been actively exploring the U.S. culture with her friends and Friendship Family. Community service projects and volunteer activities will definitely enrich your experience and help your understanding about the culture from a different perspective. I would love to encourage all visiting students to join hands-on volunteer projects since there are so many things, such as values, work ethics and so on, that you cannot gain by just studying in classes. Check the Volunteer Action Center website and you’ll find various opportunities in Fayetteville!  — Nami

I did not know what to expect when I attended Holcombe Geography Series as a guest for the first time, when Morocco presented in early September. I was genuinely surprised by how interactive and informative their presentation was. We, as guests, had the chance to learn first-hand facts and interesting topics, which cannot be easily found on the internet and which are easy to remember when presented in such a free-hearted manner.

When I was asked to give a presentation myself, together with the other two Bulgarian students at the U of A, I got very excited and anxious at the same time. This opportunity meant that we were going to have the chance to present our country and make a valuable contribution to the U of A community by sharing our own culture. On the other hand, I was aware that it was also a huge responsibility, because this presentation may be the first, or one of a few, exposures to the Bulgarian culture for some people and our presentation will be a big part of what they think of Bulgaria as a country.

Another challenging part for me was the process of finding cultural items and supplies which we could use during the presentation and ingredients to cook Bulgarian food for our lovely guests! Unfortunately, we did not have many cultural items or ingredients, so we needed to be creative. We contacted some people from Bulgaria in the Fayetteville community and they contributed things they had. For me, it was such a pleasant experience. One person even drove from Bentonville to bring us a Bulgarian meal and beautiful table cloth! It was amazing to have all the help and support from the community.

The presentation day itself was very hectic – I was running between classes and studying for a test while cooking the cold yogurt soup in Holcombe Hall. However, after all, when I entered the Holcombe living room before the presentation, I smelled the smell of Bulgarian food and heard Bulgarian music while being surrounded by people from all over the world. At that very moment, I knew that every effort we made was worth it. I felt so comfortable to present together with Teodor and Teodora while supporting each other. I guess that was one of reasons why it went so smoothly. Also, the audience was all interested, engaging and supportive, that made me feel inspired and rewarded at the end of this program. It turned out that being a presenter at Holcombe Geography Series became one of the most rewarding experiences for me as international student at the U of A.

 

by Kalina Bozhkova

 

When I arrived in Fayetteville, the first impression about this city was “small and quiet.” I was pretty sure that my life in Fayetteville would be silent. Growing up in a big city, I always wanted to live in a smaller town that offers beautiful nature such as forest or extensive yards. In a way, my life in Fayetteville is what I have been looking for: There are horses, cows, big trees, and yards everywhere. There are not tall buildings, which I got used to being surrounded by, near the U of A campus. However, I had already started to feel a little bit bored and miss the busy city life in Seoul only after a few weeks.

Meanwhile, one of my friends told me “Minjun, you will be able to see a lot of bikes during the BBB festival.” I learned that Bikes, Blues and Barbeque (BBB) was an annual festival held in Fayetteville every fall and a lot of bikers gather here from all parts of the country to celebrate their passion about bikes and share their enthusiasm. Yet, I could not imagine thousands of bikers riding their motorcycles and all the streets near the campus and Dickson Street would be filled with them in this town.

My friend was right! We started to hear all those noises on streets in Fayetteville! BBB was a perfect opportunity since I was looking for something exciting, interesting and fun that would help me to feel refreshed and energized! I ended up visiting BBB on Dickson Street three days in a row! I absolutely enjoyed it!

I am pretty sure that many of us, especially male students, have dreamed about riding a fabulous motorcycle. Although most of the bikers at the BBB festival were not in our age, they seemed to be enjoying their lives with cool looking motorcycles.  I also noticed that there were a lot of older couples enjoying riding motorcycles together. Another thing I realized was that they came from Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and many other places, which are far from Fayetteville! I was simply impressed by that they were enjoying their lives.

At the BBB event, I enjoyed not only watching different kinds of motorcycles, but also a lot of food vendors. They were selling barbeque, desserts, turkey legs, ribs, hotdogs and hamburgers! All of them looked great, and I decided to try a big turkey leg which is as big as my face. Delicious! While I was enjoying the turkey leg, I also saw many people holding something delicious. It looks like bread somehow with a lot of sugar powder on it… At first, I did not know what it was… I asked and finally figured it out: It was funnel cake! Funnel cakes are named because of its shape. Dough is fried in oil after it gets through the funnel. It was sweet! I strongly recommend you to try it if you have not tasted it before!

To be honest, I had not expected to have such a huge event in Fayetteville because, as I said, I thought Fayetteville was a very small town. However, I was really impressed by that many people around the states came to Fayetteville to enjoy the festival. I strongly believe that enjoying any kinds of festival makes us feel refreshed. BBB was definitely the event that gave me so much energy to enjoy the life at UofA. It has become part of my unforgettable memory Fayetteville. Once again, I recommend you to enjoy BBB every fall in Dickson Street! Please try barbeque and funnel cakes!

By Minjun Park

Einstein once said “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”  I have never thought that understanding other human beings can also be reached through sharing our differences with each other. Differences in our culture, our backgrounds, our language, our food, and the way we see the world around us were the first things we had to share in Holcombe Hall, and by breaking these borders, we found ourselves getting closer and closer to each other.

Each one’s experience has been changing to become part of our overall experience day by day. We started to find the common things we share, which helped us to go through our differences and give us also a chance to learn how to be tolerant with each other’s mistakes.

One of the events that enriched my experience here the most is the “International Day of Peace” event that was held in Holcombe Hall three weeks ago. This day was an opportunity for everyone to express and share their experiences about peace.

An unforgettable reflection on 9/11 was presented by one of Holcombe Hall residents Elijah Garcia. He talked about his experience as a child and how his thoughts and ideas about this day changed since then. He said that living in an international environment gave him a different way of thinking about Arabs and Islam. He believes that he used to have a negative stereotype about them, but after meeting people from Arab countries and living with them in the same place, his image about them became a positive one.

Furthermore, we had the opportunity to listen to other students from all over the world reflect about their experiences during 9/11. Emna Ghariani from Tunisia shared her story as an Arab. She said that she sympathizes with those families who lost their children, siblings, fathers, mothers, or husbands. She also added that her opinion about World Peace as a child has changed after she visited The States two years ago. For her, treating other people should be based on seeing them as human beings, regardless of their background, culture, or religion. These ideas might help us in raising the sense of humanity and spread World Peace.

For me, World Peace can be spread only by seeing and treating other people as you see and treat yourself. To feel with them, live their lives, be tolerant, and to learn how to forgive their mistakes is what we should think about to live in peace within ourselves and to spread it all over the world.

By Ramz Shalbak

During the Little Rock Trip organized by the International Students and Scholars (ISS) office, I learned about the story of real heroes, the Little Rock Nine. Little Rock Central High School is the high school that attempted the integration of public schools in 1957 and nine African American students enrolled. People called them Little Rock Nine. Only nine of them had a chance in the first year, but it was a remarkable event in the history of American civil rights movement.

This trip reminded me of one movie, the Great Debaters. Two years ago, I watched it for my speech class in Korea. This film was about a story of African American students in a college debate team. They participated in the national college debate competition when the Jim Crow laws were still common. One of the lines that I really liked in the movie was this: “The time for justice, the time for freedom, and the time for equality is always, always right now.” I was so moved by the movie, which is based on a true story, yet, I still could not imagine how hard it was for African American students to get in schools at that time and seek for equal rights.

One of highlights on this trip was visiting Little Rock Central High School. The visitor center was located near the school and we could see the pictures, diaries and articles of the Little Rock Nine regarding their hardship, struggles and hope. What I really liked about this museum was they offered me an opportunity of thinking about the issues that I have been curious and worried about: multiculturalism in the United States because one of concerns I had was what my experience would be like here as an Asian student, who would be considered as one of minority groups.

Although there are a lot of great stories and historical movies and books on this matter, issues around racism still exist in this country. Before coming to the United States, I was a little bit worried about my experience. However, stories I learned at the Little Rock Central High School Visitors Center are powerful and their efforts that Little Rock Nine made in the past were inspiring. Those African American students did not give up until they accomplished their goals, and a lot of people around them supported and helped them to flight for the better future.

Today, they have a museum of its history that keeps telling stories to the next generation. Those stories encouraged me to reconsider concerns about my study abroad experience. I want to know and learn more about American history and culture, and also experience “America” as much as I can while studying at the U of A.

Two postcards, that had Little Rock Central High School pictures, were sent to my younger sister and brother in Korea. I wish they could share my experiences here, too. I really appreciate ISS for offering such a good opportunity in my first year in the United States. I sincerely look forward to the next trip.

By Hanna Lee, Visiting Student

 

I hope you guys have been enjoying the beautiful weather and the sports season at the U of A! As we explained during the Football 101 program in August, American Football is a big part of the U.S. culture!

The first game was on Saturday, September 3 and I believe some of you guys enjoyed watching the game at the stadium! How was it to call the hogs together with 70,000 people? The next game in Fayetteville is scheduled on Saturday, September 17th at 6:30pm.

After I enjoyed the Pep Rally several days ago, Ruben, a former Holcombe resident, asked me to go to the volleyball game the other day. It was fun to watch the game together! We’ll keep inviting visiting students to different sports events soon again!

Stay tuned!

 

 

 

 

 

 

How is your first week going? Have you finalized your classes? There is a lot of information that you need to process during the first a few weeks, but don’t get overwhelmed, stay positive and you will get settled in soon!

The other day, we had a meeting in the Crowne Apartment for visiting students who live in the apartment complex. It was great to see American roommates’ faces there too. One American student shared a story with me that she traveled around the world on a boat for her study abroad experience! I could tell that she had been very inspired by different cultures and was so looking forward to spending a semester with her roommates! No matter where you live in during the semester, please stay open-minded and try to soak up every single experience!

On our way back, we all took a bus to campus. Public transportation is one of differences you have been experiencing, I assume. Do you miss convenient subway systems in your country? Are buses in Fayetteville less crowded than those in your country?  Do people in your country walk a lot? Yes, indeed, the U.S. is a car society. You may have been surprised by how big the parking space is at the shopping mall!

It may be fun to think about the U.S. culture from the point of view as a car society. Tell us if you have any thoughts around this topic!

Thanks! — Nami

I believe that most of you are arriving in Fayetteville this weekend. Remembering my own first week in the United States, you must be very nervous, excited, motivated or having all mixed feelings to get your semester started!

International Students & Scholars office has planed many activities during the orientation so that you can prepare yourself before the Fall semester starts. It includes all kinds of important information and fun activities to experience some American culture. Please check the orientation schedule carefully!

ISS organized Dinner in an American Home for graduate students on Saturday, August 13. The story was covered in the local news station, KNWA. You will have this program on Saturday, August 20th. Don’t forget to sign up!

By the way, at the Graduation Orientation Welcome, Cross Cultural Mentors (CCMs) shared a part of the U of A culture, Call the Hogs.

Are you wondering “What does that mean, Woooooo… on this picture?” or “What do you mean by Hogs?” Don’t worry! You will learn this once you get here!

Take a good rest over the weekend and show your smiles to us on Monday!

— Nami

Welcome to Fayetteville! International Students & Scholars office is very excited to have you all here at the U of A!

If you have any questions, please let us know!