Chinese New Year in the USA

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Suiru Lei

I spent my New Year Eve with a group of thirty in an apartment of one of them. All of them were the same school year with me. Even though all of us are Chinese, we were from different part of China, spreading out from northest to southest.

We cooked some traditional Chinese food, such as fried meat and potato, shrimp and noodles and spicy Chinese cabbage. Actually, I was not part of the cooking group. By the time I got there, the food was ready already. It was perfect timing, but I sort of got complaining doing nothing so I washed dishes afterward. Anyway, we found out that the food we cooked was totally not enough for our huge group. So we ended up having Chinese food deliver, such as MaPo tofu, sweet and sour chicken and so on, which is really good as Americanize Chinese food. We were like fighting for the food because the food was so good and we were all very hungry.

After I was done with all the cleaning, I joined the game group. We called it Pirate Ship, in which we took turn to say a word of a sentence. And by pointing at the next person, the next person needed to do certain movement along with the word they needed to say. Each part had a different movement and the people next to the one who said the last part of the sentence needed to do certain movement as well. It was so funny to see people mess up with their part and sometimes when people just have no concerning about how ridiculous their movement looked, because if they lost, punishment would come up.

After the game, we went to a Vietnamese guy’s apartment for counting down. By the way, I didn’t realize that Vietnam is one of those countries which celebrate Lunar New Year, too. We were all so happy. We counted down out loud; we wished each other the best things; we gave each other big hug. It was so many fun.

We went back to our dorms and apartments pretty early because most of us needed to skype with our families either at that night or early in the next morning. It’s the biggest festival around the whole year in China, when families will gather together regardless where they are. For me, it is hard to be away. I feel bad that as the only child, I absented for this important occasion. However, I wish them the best. And I am so glad that I greeted my new year with my good friends here in Harrisonburg. I wish them the best year in James Madison University as well.

A birthday in America

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Oumar Sacko

In America, birthday celebration is a really big deal. Back home, when it is my birthday I just get birthday wishes by my friends and that’s all.

Since I was 14 years old, I did not really celebrate my birthday. When I came here, few weeks before my birthday when my friends asked me what I would do for my birthday I just said nothing special and they were shocked. Last year, my freshman year, my friend made a cake for and surprised me in my dorm while I was studying the day of my birthday. This year, it was bigger than what I had ever expected. The family that I helped for Christmas decoration organized a little party for me. They had 20 little gifts for me. It was crazy. I was never given that many presents before. I felt like a little kid unwrapping those presents. They had a cake for me and also made a specialty that I use to eat back home. It was one of my best birthdays. That was my 20^th birthday. I can believe time fled that fast. Here the most important birthdays are the 16^th, the 18^th and the 21^st. 16 because they get more responsibility. 18 because they get more detached from parents and are free to do lots of stuffs. Finally, the 21st because they can legally drink alcohol. In Africa it is not really like that. No matter how old you are, you will always be under your parents’ authority.

As I have been studying a lot recently I wanted to rest a little bit and have fun with my friends. So I went to the Snow tubing organized by the Office of International Student. That was a new experience to me. We went to Massanutten, a place for snowboarding and snow tubing in Harrisonburg. We just sit in a tube and slide down an icy pathway. It was so much fun. The Asian organization had a dinner for the Chinese new year. I saw some of my former teachers from the study group and friends too. I finally got to taste Kimchi, a traditional food from Korea. It was so spicy I had to mix it with something else but it wasn’t too bad. Us African students, we are going to have our show too. It’s called Taste of Africa and we will be modeling with traditional clothes from Africa and will have African food too. I can’t wait for that day. I will be acting in a show which will be about life in Africa. I feel like being involved in an organization makes you feel like being part of a small community. Here for example, lots of students, especially American students, join fraternities. Most of their friends are people from their fraternity. People from the same fraternity usually share similar ideas and are supportive to each other. That’s the feeling I have in the organization I am involved in.

The biggest challenge for me was to fit in the society and feel comfortable. Now I can say that I succeeded because my entourage is made of wonderful people who make of my stay in the US a really good experience.

With a new semester comes new ideas

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Oumar Sacko

We barely started the second semester and workload has already started building up. I remember last semester like as if it was yesterday so that the time flies. I wish to stay to college a little bit longer but as the time goes we have to focus more on the present and future.

My first weeks of class were pretty rough. I had to drop one class so I can focus more on the others and also have time to rest and see my friends. To me, having a good social life is of primary importance to live better. I believe that you can be the richest in the world or the smartest person but if you do not have anybody to talk to and share your experience it is useless. In JMU there are many organizations that gather students who have the same ideas or want to pursue the same career. I decided to join the Pre Med organization. Surrounded by people who want the same thing I want can only make me learn better. As I miss my African relatives and traditions I also join an African organization. In that organization we are planning to organize a fashion show where I may be modeling!

These past weeks were to me like a “little step in Asia.” Indeed the 23^rd was Chinese New year and with my Asian friends we gathered at their place to eat a hot pot. Hot pot is a traditional meal from Asia. It’s like a big soup in what we put all the ingredients and other food supplements we want. The Hot Pot we had was made of rice, noodles, fish, calamari, tofu etc… It was delicious and I loved it. The only part I did not really like is that I had to eat with chopsticks so I won’t feel like an outsider by eating all western with a fork and knife. It was a great experience; spending time with them made me think more about my identity. I admire Asians because no matter where they go they will still practice their beliefs and always stay attached to their values. Back home, for lunch I always had rice so to feel a little bit more like home I decided to buy a rice cooker and cook some African meals for myself and my roommates and friends.

Our basketball intramural season just started. I have the same basketball team as I did last year. There is one Asian, four Americans and Me. We won our first game and we got a lot to play before the playoffs. My position in basketball is the center; the center is usually the tallest one who catches all the balls that fly in the air. Even though I am not the tallest in the team, I jump the highest so I am the one in charge to take the rebounds.

In JMU almost everybody has a car. At the beginning of the semester I was so excited because I just got my driver’s license. Now the only thing I need is a car.

I am so very ready for school

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Suiru Lei

It is the second day of my second semester here in James Madison University. I have never felt this excited for school before. I have never imagined I would be this excited, either. By the end of my first semester, I was just dying to leave the town and seek something different to do. So I did, I spent my whole break in Washington D.C, visiting those famous attractions. And I was so get ready to be back to school by the end of the break. Even though it was stressed to pack all my stuff and get in the metro to catch the home ride bus, I’ve never felt this eager to get back to my dorm, Rockingham. It is a two-floored co-ed dorm, which used to be a hotel. There are four sections of it and I am in the B section. I think international and transfer students are mainly the residents. I used to complain that it is sort of old, out of campus and not fancy enough like others, but now I am like, finally home! My little sweet warm home. I am so happy to be back HOME, JMU! I feel safe and peace in here. And I realize that rather than notice this important feeling I had and appreciate it, I was focus on those stupid material standards, which is very immature. Maybe, it was because I was too greedy to notice what I had. So, here is one of my goal for 2012: appreciate what I have already.

For the first day of school, I was all exhausted, because I didn’t get back until Sunday and did all those packing and unpacking. However, I was absolutely energetic as well. It felt like I drunk couple cups of coffee after being awake for a whole night. My body felt really tired. I could literally fall asleep once my head hit the pillow but my brain was in extreme excitement, greeting with friends, talking, laughing. I guessed JMU was my coffee, my stimulus. It gave me those endless energy and positive feeling. However, sometimes my smiles was sort of forced, I promised, it was just because of the cold weather. It was freezing here. My hometown never had snow, but here in JMU, it’s snowing out there now! Actually, I just got one of my early class canceled this morning because of the snow weather. I think this is the best thing about cold weather!

I am back at my beloved JMU! And I am so glad my semester started so well!

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012!

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Oumar Sacko

2011 ended up pretty well for me. Me and my friends from James Madison University met in Washington DC. This was one of my best moments in 2011. Together we booked a hotel and stayed there for three days.

Contrary to what we had planned, we could not go to a night club onNew Year eve to see American famous singers because it was too expensive. That’s why we went there the day before New Year eve instead and on New Year eve we went to a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown for the countdown, it was amazing! The food there was so good and I was eating so much that the waiter offered me a plate for free.

The first day of 2012 we went to a museum in Washington DC. It was my first time going to that museum. As a matter of fact in DC there are so many museums. In the museum, I was so proud when I saw some things that come from Mali. My friends were so annoyed because I screamed all the time I saw something from Mali. Mali is famous for the traditional clothes they make: bogolan. We haven’t got time to go to the zoo so we put it on our To-do list for later.

After we all left DC I went back to my aunt’s in Maryland. Other friends that I met in Mali and who are studying in Canada came to Maryland too. I loved the beginning of 2012.

During the break, I spent most of the time with my family. When my baby cousins knew I was there, they all came to see me and stayed over. In Mali, I was so close to children that they called me Oumar Aka “children’s friend.” I love spending time with babies. They are so careless. Sometimes spending time with them makes me want to go back to childhood when I was unconcerned and when the hardest decision to make was to choose the right color to draw.

On Monday we just started class. At first I was not in the mood to study at all but once in the school environment my motivation came back. This semester I am taking 18 credits but I think I will drop one because I want to do excellent in all my classes. That is one of my resolutions for New Year.

Winter break and the holidays at James Madison University

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Oumar Sacko

It has been a week now that we are enjoying winter break. On campus, it’s like all the other breaks: nobody around. Even though it is not as long as summer break, lots of international students have left to go to their country of origin.

It’s kind of sad for me that I can’t go back home to celebrate New Year with my family. Most of my international friends already left especially those from Saudi Arabia. They seem all exited and I understand their enthusiasm. I’m staying here in America but instead I get to see my relatives. My uncle and aunt from Canada came here and we all gathered. For the moment I can’t really complain for not being able to go back to Africa. I came to my aunt in Maryland and we are having lots of fun. Last night we all went to play Bowling at Bowl America. I am not an expert Bowler but I don’t have a beginner level either.

During this break, some unforgettable moments happened. I see this as an adaptation to the American way of life. A good friend of mine invited me to her parents’ place. It’s an American family and of course Christmas is a really big thing for them. They are wonderful people and they knew I had never set up a Christmas tree so they called me to help them set up their tree. It was such a great moments. We hung all the decorations on the tree and we also hung some objects that they owned for many years. Later on at night, we drove to a place that was lit with Christmas decoration. It was a whole garden with a light show. I had never seen something like that before. That day, we saved the best for the end. After we were done with the tree we baked some cookies all together. It was my first time as well to bake cookies. Back home I have never really celebrated Christmas that’s why I am marveled at this point.

In Maryland, my cousin took me to his friend’s graduation in University of Maryland College Park. It was crazy. This University is so big and has so many students compared to JMU. I had seen videos of graduation ceremonies but had never been to one. It was crowded and every student one by one went to take their diploma. Assisting to such event motivated me more in my studies. In 3 years hopefully, I will be the person with a Bachelor of Science degree that the crowd will cheer. But I am not in a rush. I want to take advantage of my college years to the maximum.

I love winter break. There are so many things to do and events to celebrate. In couple days, we will be celebrating New Year. My friends from Canada and New York are coming to Maryland so we are going to meet and we will probably celebrate it in a night club where the singer Chris Brown might go.

The final phase

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Oumar Sacko

This is it! The moment that we all wish to skip has arrived. It’s finals week right now and everybody is busy studying.

Finals week is the most stressing moment of the semester. Those who have been getting good grades during the semester find it less stressful. But for those whose semester is compromised, this moment is their only hope to pass their class. From my side, it’s not too bad. At the moment it is going pretty well but I will soon have to rely on coffee and energy drink to stay up late to study. On campus, many activities have stopped. Most students who work on campus for the University do not go to work at the moment. And yes, it is strange for me but here for most institutional jobs the University does not hire other people, students themselves complete that task. Back home, students usually do not do any kind of paid job for the University. That’s why when I came here it seemed so weird to me to see employees working and see them few hours later walking with their book bags going to class. I am becoming so used to it myself that I applied for a job next semester. I want to work as a Program Assistant for international students at JMU so hopefully I will get that job!

This week we played our semi finals. Unfortunately we lost but it was a really good game. Now the soccer season is over. It is time for me to turn to another sport for spring semester. The basketball season will start so with my American friends we have decided to make a basketball team. This doesn’t mean that I will stop playing soccer. Stopping to play soccer is just impossible for me and I’m sure my African friends and other people in my team think the same way.

When I got my Foundation Diploma from the International Study Center and graduated to JMU I was so happy. All the process me and other students of my matriculation have been through are engraved in my memory. At the end of my ISC year I had to do a presentation of my portfolio and present it to the JMU Jury so they decide if I can get in JMU or not. That day was full of suspense. Even thought I knew I was going to make it because I had good grades I still had that feeling of anxiety because I wanted it to be perfect. Well this week, I went to watch the presentation made by the new matriculating students at the ISC. They are going through what I have been through in spring 2011. They are having the same anxiety I had and some of them could probably be my classmate next semester if they succeed.

In couple days, we will have our winter break. That’s the break I like the most because it is full of feast. We will get to celebrate Christmas and New year.

Thanksgiving dinner and preparing for finals!

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Oumar Sacko

There is nothing better than free food on the menu. November 24^th 2011 was Thanksgiving Day in the United States. There was so much food on the table that it hurt me to leave without it.

Thanksgiving dinner - American style!

I spent Thanksgiving Day like a local American with my family here in America. At my uncle’s house in Maryland, there were other families who came to celebrate it with us. They cooked for us and there was all kind of food there: turkey, vegetable, pasta, rice etc. There were also some Malian specialties such as couscous, a dish made from semolina and served like rice, with sauce on top. After eating, we all passed out. Later we went shopping for Black Friday at noon. Black Friday is a really big day in America as well. It’s the day right after Thanksgiving and almost all the stores have a sale with a high percentage of discounts on their products.

This week was a week of reunion with my relatives. We really had a good time together and I already miss them.

Next week when we get back to school, we have our soccer playoffs. In the indoor soccer tournament we got the 3^rd position. Now we are playing outdoors. We are playing the semi finals next week. The only disadvantage I have is playing in the snow or in the cold. I am not used to that at all but I love soccer too much to say no to a game. My soccer outdoor team is made of only international students as well. Most of us are from Africa but there are also Indians, Chinese, and Arabs in our team. It is very diverse and we get along so well. It’s like we have been playing together for a long time because we understand one another. Our last game, we won 12-2 and we celebrated that victory at my friend’s apartment.

After one week of thanksgiving break, we have one more week of class followed by the final exams week. Final exams week is the toughest week for all students. Smart or not, during final exams period everybody is busy studying. That’s the week where people become sick from studying and some even become sick literally speaking. In college, at that time we all do what we call “pull the all nighters.” It’s when we don’t sleep and study all night. At that time, the library is open 24/7 for students who want to pull the all nighters. When I came to US, at first I didn’t want to do that because I wanted to have my eight hours of sleep. Later on, I realized that if I want to pass all my classes, during the final exams period I had to do that. Even when I was in the International Study Center, we went through that moment like other JMU students. That’s why I know what to expect from that period and in order not to be overwhelmed by studies, during thanksgiving break I studied a little bit for the finals.

Thanksgiving break!

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Oumar Sacko

This is the last week before thanksgiving break. I can’t wait to see my family at the end of the week. I also want to take advantage of this article to send a message and prayers to the loved one we lost here at JMU this semester.

This week, a good friend of mine lost one of her best friend. Jane Hwang, a beautiful freshman girl is the one who left us. A Facebook page was created for her. Countless of JMU students went to the Quad (a wide green space at the center of our campus) the day after to show their support and compassion. I did not know Jane but after all the good things I heard about her, I’m sure she is a good person. I never talk about the lost one in the past because I do believe they are still here with us. I know that despite all the mourning that we’ve done, Jane won’t be back to occupy her seat at the dinner table with her family on Thanksgiving Day. This moment showed me how consolidated and supportive can a campus community be. I was really surprised and touched when I saw all the things they have done for the students at James Madison University. It showed me an aspect of unity that I had previsouly ignored.

Talking about Thanksgiving, this day is a really big moment in America. Before coming here I haven’t heard about it. It’s a feast where people are thankful especially to God. They organize a big dinner and invite friends. Usually, they cook a big turkey to celebrate that. In United States, they celebrate it the fourth Thursday of November. In Mali and many African countries, we do not have an equivalent of Thanksgiving but we have something else called Eid Mubarak. It’s a Muslim feast and on that day we kill a sheep and share the meat among family and friends. It’s a really big day in Mali. The distinction between Eid Mubarak and Thanksgiving is that people usually pray God and say sorry to their relatives instead of being thankful for what they have.

We finally got our Thanksgiving break. It was time for us to have a little break after this intense period of studying. On campus, it is the total silence. Nobody is there. Everybody went home to celebrate Thanksgiving with their family. Except for our university circle, the city is so quiet. That’s one thing in Harrisonburg that I don’t really like. People you are most likely to see are college students. But the good thing is that there are some organizations that connect you with families who need someone to spend time with. I was really happy when I heard about that. For Thanksgiving break as I don’t have my parents here in America, I will go to my uncle’s house in Maryland. I can’t wait to get there and see all my little cousins and especially my cousin who just turned 2. After Thanksgiving break, we will have one week of class followed by the final exam week and that will be the end of the semester.

Halfway to the end of the semester

Posted on October 30, 2011 by Oumar Sacko

Eight weeks have now passed. We are right in the middle of the semester. I don’t know how fast has this happened and how I got here but things turn out to be pretty good for me.

Eight weeks ago, I was concerned about doing well as a James Madison University student. Despite having taken several English classes and some JMU classes when I was in the International Study Center at JMU, I had this fear of being in a class with hundreds of students and not doing well. Today, integrated well in the system, this has become the least of my worries. So far, I am having an A in all my classes. In some of my classes some students even asked me to study with them. I was really flattered. All of our teachers congratulate us for making through half of the semester and not dropping the class. This week was the last week to drop classes. In each of my big classes there are at least 20 people who dropped it and the teacher said that at the end of the semester approximately one fourth of the students will fail. I am happy because I did not have to drop none of my classes. In America this is something really common. Students can pick their classes, their schedules, their teachers and if they don’t like the class they have the possibility to drop that class. Back home, in the French system I was, you do not have that option.

This week, I also went to see some of my former professors from last year when I was in the International Study Center. It was really nice seeing them and they were really happy to see me. As I was closer to my Study Group teachers at the Center, they gave me lots of advices and were really supportive. It’s always good to know that there are some people there who care about your success, who believe in you and who are always there for you. The teacher in the Center that marked me the most was my math teacher. He is not only a teacher with a Ph D, but he is also a writer and his books are published everywhere. And when a man of this value, tells you that “I am not worried for your career I know that you will do fine and achieve your goal”, it makes your heart feel good. If one day I achieve my goal, which is to become a Physician, one of the first things I would do is contact that professor and tell him. He may not even know, but his words affected me a lot. All this to tell that support is really important during college years.

And of course this week end is a big moment in America and many Western countries. It is Halloween weekend. Obviously I am not exited for the “trick or treat” time like I used to with my friends. I am just going to hang out with my friends and go party with them. This year, I will be a King for Halloween.

International students at James Madison University

Studying at university in the USA!