Photo from Pexels taken by Porapak Apichodilok
Life as an International Student
Ayushma Ghale
For ‘The Clock’
aghale@plymouth.edu
When the plane Landed at JFK in New York City on that sunny day in August, I was beyond excited. It was the very first time I’d come to the United States. It still feels like yesterday that I came here but it has already been four years. Coming to the US has been my dream since I was 15, and I feel very grateful that I got the opportunity to come here as an international student to further studies. I was both scared and excited at the about what my life was going to be like here in America.
“…I have been able to learn about different cultures and I got to experience what life is like living by myself.”
I’m originally from Nepal, but I’ve spent the past four years living in the US. I got my Associate degree in “Health Science” from NHTI Concord Community College in May 2020 and am now in my 2nd semester here at Plymouth State, studying public health. My life as an international student has been good so far. I have been able to learn about different cultures and I got to experience what life is like living by myself. Being an international student, I always felt I’d be judged by my peers but I’m happy to say that my friends I’ve made at PSU are really friendly and they don’t make me feel different because I’m not American. There are also many other pros to being an international student here at Plymouth. My experience has helped me become independent, speak what I feel is right and it’s taught me how to live by myself. In Nepal, it is not common to move out at the age of 18. This is just one of the ways our cultures differ. However, there are also cons to being an international student. We must take a minimum of twelve credits per semester which sometimes can be a lot, and our tuition is much higher. English is also not my first language, and sometimes it’s difficult for me to understand what people are trying to say.
At Plymouth, I’m learning so many new things from my peers. I feel as though I’m able to teach my culture and my background to my peers here. Everyone has his or her own experiences but so far, mine has been really good.