One last shot of fun before finals

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Oumar Sacko

On campus, the message that can clearly be read on everybody’s forehead is “stressed”. That’s how it is before finals. In ten days it will be the end of my sophomore year but before my year reached an end, I’m still taking advantage and explore even outside of Harrisonburg.

Last weekend, my friends and I we went to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. It was awesome. We had a great journey. Their campus is so big and their style is more townie. We got to see their Medical school department, the place that I may be going for Med School if I am really lucky. It is quite different from James Madison University but I still prefer JMU. At JMU the atmosphere is different. People are smiling all the time even when they don’t know you. UVA is also said to be hard academically. But the experience one gets at JMU is unique. Because here at JMU, there is this sense of community and everybody knows each other. The good times one gets at JMU are unforgettable. Most of the people I know who graduated last year, complain about how much they love JMU and still come visit at least once a semester.

In memory of “spring fest” , couple years ago, JMU invented something called “Madipalooza”. Spring fest in 2009 was a disaster because people partied too hard. Some even came from other states just for that. In order for the school’s reputation to stay good and to control better JMU decided to make it On campus. On April 15^th we had our Madipalooza event. It was awesome and so much fun. There was a concert, bouncy castles, free food etc… The thing that caught my attention the most was the food contest. We had to eat five hot dogs and the first person to eat it wins a prize. It was such a great Saturday.

For us international students, a focus group session was held last week as well. It gathered only international students and we discussed about our experience in the United States and at JMU. The aim was to see how well we are doing here and how was it at the beginning. Most of the people said that the language barrier and nostalgia were their biggest challenges. Even people form English speaking countries had problems with English here. I have to admit that it made me feel better about myself. What some Universities do, is that they make it mandatory for American students to take another language class. I think that is such a good idea because they can also know how hard it is for us. At the end of the event I won a Kindle touch. I was so happy. I can now buy books online for cheaper and it’s more convenient.

Ten more days and then we are done. On May 5 we have our graduation ceremony. I’ve never been to a graduation event at JMU. I have so many friends graduating. It’s sad to see them leave, but as all the Alumni, they said they will come visit JMU at least once a semester…”Once a duke you never turn back”

April fool or not

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Oumar Sacko

In this month of April, so many things happened. We are getting close to the end of the semester and I am already planning my next semester.

As I always wanted a dog since I was little, last weekend me and my friends we decided to go to the Puppy farm in Gap view Kennels, 25 min away from James Madison University. I drove the new car I got from the auction to go there. As I am not very used to driving in the US, at first I struggled to get on the highway with all those cars speeding at 65 miles per hour! It was tough but now I got it.

Once at the Puppy farm, I was amazed. I had never seen that many dogs in one place. The dogs from this puppy farm are golden retrievers. There were also horses, friendly turkeys (because you can pet them!), donkeys and mules. Petting those little puppies made me want to buy one but when the owner told us their price, I suddenly changed my mind.
Last weekend my ASO (African Students Organization) crew also organized a little trip to Washington DC. It was so much fun. We stayed there for two nights. A member of the African Student Organization (ASO) hosted us at her house, a really big house. We visited the African Museum. As there is a lot of traffic in DC we used the metro to move. On Saturday we all went to the night club together. It was such a great moment and we are planning to do it again. One advantage of being in an organization or a fraternity is that where ever you go if there is someone from you organization or fraternity, that person can provide you a host. One can get lot of connection.
I have been planning ahead my schedule for next semester. Last week I had an interview for a tutor job on campus. I want to be a chemistry tutor at the helping center and a couple of days later, I received an email offering me that job position. At first I did not believe it, I thought it was an April fool. I was so happy because this will look so good on my Resume for med school. My next goal is to get an internship at a hospital or a volunteer job.

The registrations for spring semester classes also started now. For the moment I am only planning to take organ chemistry one, cellular biology, medical Spanish, theater class and statistics in math. I am also registering to take summer classes here at James Madison University. My first time taking summer classes, I heard it’s quite boring because there are not many people and the course goes really fast. Going back home is not quite sure for me now because in my country, Mali, there is a political crisis.

This weekend, I also explored the city of Harrisonburg with my friends. I thought the population was majorly elderly but I was wrong. Being a JMU student allows me to take the bus for free everywhere in Harrisonburg.

“Once you turn a duke you never go back!”

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Oumar Sacko

It has been two weeks now since our spring break. After such a good break it’s hard to get back to study until an alarming situation wakes you up. I had my alarming situation: one midterm, two exams and two presentations.
Last week was the deadline to drop classes. Here at the end of the semester there are few people left in the class. The reason is that they did not want to fail the class. So far, I am good in all my classes so that wasn’t a problem for me. Here at James Madison University they also have something called “repeat and forgive.” It permits us to retake a class that we failed or did not do really good in it. Then our former grade can be cancelled like it never happened. But here we are only allowed to take two “repeat and forgive”. If I had to give an advice I would recommend waiting until senior year to use those two because classes get harder and harder as you go on and you may need it later for other classes.

Last weekend I had the honor to host my cousin from University of Maryland college park. He stayed here for three days as they were on spring break and I made him explore our beautiful campus. He loved it and it made me even prouder of being here. First he admitted that our campus is more beautiful and newer than theirs. Secondly he admitted that our people are friendlier than in Washington DC. He was shocked when he saw me have conversation with some random people. He said that in his university people are suspicious and always on their guard as their campus is not as safe as ours. Finally the moment that he was open-mouthed at is when I brought him to our dining buffet, our undisputable E-Hall! He was spoiled for choice and even thought of transferring here to JMU. That’s when I thought of our quote “once you turn a duke you never go back.”

Later on my cousin gave me a ride to the Pennsylvania auto auction “Mason- Dixon.” I bid on a car there and I got it for so cheap. I was so happy because I finally got a ride now. How it works at the auction here is that before they start biding you can go check the car and try it in the parking lot, then during the bidding time a crowd of people surrounds the car and only one person get to leave with it. It was such a great experience for me, my first time ever to bid. At that auction, the cars price usually range from a thousand to 25 000 but you can get a nice one for less than 3000. They are so well organized and have a really nice manager Miss Judy.
The weather is getting back to normal now, end of the crazy cold weather where you have to tighten your fist to walk to class. Now people lay on the quad to get tan and outdoor activities have restarted.

Spring break in the USA

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Oumar Sacko

For the break, I went to see family in NOVA(northern Virginia) and in Maryland. It was really nice to see some uncles and aunts and especially my cousins. I didn’t do anything special; I just relaxed in the house.

Usually during breaks, in the United States, students work in order to make some money but for spring break it is a different story. Spring break is said to be one of the least stressful break. During spring break our professors usually don’t give us homework and compared to Thanksgiving break, after spring break we have 6 more weeks of class whereas after Thanksgiving break we directly have the finals. For spring break, students have fun, they de-stress and take advantage of college life.

During this break spending time with my friends in Maryland and family allowed me to change my ideas. A friend of mine who works at a restaurant brought me to his work. Just looking at the hard work he has to do every day, I took a lesson from it: appreciate studies more and obtain a degree. I realized that what he was doing is not something I want to do in my life and also realize the opportunity I have to be a student at James Madison University. What I want is have a respectable work and help people. That’s why I chose the path of medicine.

This break I also had to make a decision concerning my summer break. In summer we have three months and a half of break and I had planned to go to Mali. But as I am already a sophomore, I also have to think of building a nice resume for medical school. So I have to do internships and volunteer jobs during summer break. Most internships during summer break are three months internships. There are few internships that are eight weeks. So I am in the dilemma of choosing either my internship or go back to my country to see my family and friends. I miss those days, when I was kid and the “hardest decision was to pick what color crayon you want.”

In my premed organization AMSA (American medical student association) we are organizing a trip to John Hopkins Hospital. John Hopkins University in Baltimore is one of the most famous institutions for medicine studies. At JMU, we do not have a med school yet, hopefully in the future we will because JMU is getting bigger and bigger every year. Why I didn’t go there for Undergraduate school it’s because the tuitions are really high but after all I like being at JMU. In the future, John Hopkins will be one of my choices for med school.

Why come to James Madison University?

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Oumar Sacko

The longer I stay here the more I realize how good it is to be here. At JMU there are so many stuffs to do. There is always something to do that’s why, us Dukes (students at James Madison University in the USA) we don’t know boredom.

When I was walking on campus I saw something that caught my attention. There was a board displaying 10 reasons to come to JMU. So I thought I’d write my own list of 10 reasons why James Madison University is so great!

People are so friendly and welcoming.
Urec (our gym) is here to keep us in shape while entertaining us.
The view on the quad is fantastic and on sunny days people lay there to tan.
Help centers are here to help us understand lectures and help us with homework.
Teachers are so friendly and make the class interesting. Even the most boring classes become interesting.
We are one of the best in the Food; JMU dining is ranked number 5!
There is at least one student organization that you fit in.
The school’s story is interesting; apparently there is a secret tunnel that goes everywhere on campus.
Academically it is serious and the diploma is valid in many places.
It is the place to come for an academic and social success.

This week parents also came with their child for the CHOICE day. It’s when high school students come to visit the University. It gives them an idea of what it is really like and if it answers their expectations. From what I have seen, both parents and children were impressed when they were visiting JMU’s campus, especially when they saw our dining halls.

Talking about organization, last week in ASO (African student organization) we had our show: Taste of Africa. It was a big show and we had a big audience. In the theater part, I was playing the role of a soldier and for the fashion show I modeled with traditional clothes from Mali. On the pictures we can have an idea of how do Malian clothes look like. After the show, we ate typical dishes from Africa such as peanut butter sauce, couscous etc… Days after our show, the Vietnamese students also had their show. It was interesting and we learned a lot about their history. Lots of my friends from the International Study Center were performing there.

We already completed half of the semester and we will be having our spring break next week. Spring break is a short break just like Thanksgiving break: it’s only one week. As the weather is not bad during spring break, students usually go to Florida or North Carolina by Car pools. They all gather in one car and drive for ten hours taking turn in driving. Time passes so fast here. What I started doing in order to be more successful is to have a to-do list. Every day when I do something I check it from the list. I believe it’s a great way to be productive and it always feels good to know that we successfully accomplished something.

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 International Study Center 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 James Madison University 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.

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.

International students at James Madison University

Studying at university in the USA!

Author Archives: Oumar Sacko