A day in the life of an international exchange student
David Greenberg
-Staff Writer-
At 5:30 a.m. on the first day of school, a young man by the name of Phouthasone “Toui” Douangphoumy woke up in a country other than his own.
Toui, 22, from Laos, is one of 60 foreign exchange students from Southeast Asia attending St. Louis Community College and one of 20 attending Meramec.
The money was provided by the U.S. Department of State, and the goal of the program is to quickly boost students’ English speaking skills and to provide a rich, cultural experience.
To be accepted into the program, students had to fill out a very extensive application and write an essay.
The essay was about “why they should come [to the United States] and what difference it would make for themselves, and to others,” according to Heather McKay, ESL Coordinator and teacher at Meramec.
“We want them to be able to speak well of their American experience when they return to their native countries,” said McKay. “We also want to learn a lot from them.”
Carole Watson, ESL Specialist, said the program is “helpful for the college in establishing how to work with greater numbers of international students.”
Both McKay and Watson teach a class to Toui, and spent a lot of time placing the students in appropriate classes when they first got here.
Aside from their studies, students will also engage in at least one service-learning experience and a “rural experience.”
In addition, they will participate in at least two social or cultural activities a week, and two weekend activities per month.
During their first week here, Toui and the rest of the students went to a Blues game, the Old Courthouse, and the symphony.
Despite the Blues’ 2-1 overtime loss to Chicago, Toui said, with a big smile on his face, “I love it. It was very cool.” Toui also said that the Old Courthouse’s “architecture is nice, very beautiful.”
Working with the International Club, Toui, and the rest of the Southeast Asian foreign exchange students, are hoping to be able to go skiing.
Since there is no snow back in most of their countries, this may be a once in a lifetime opportunity for many.
Back in Laos, a typical day consisted of waking up at 6:30 a.m. to get ready and go to school, with a lunch break in between classes. Every evening, Toui and his friends would go play soccer, Laos’ most popular sport. Afterward he would go home to have dinner and watch TV with his family, then study before going to bed.
According to Toui, “people in Laos, we like having a party almost every week. People drink a lot of beer, morning, afternoon, and night. Everyone drinks the same beer, Beer Lao.”
In America, he wakes up at 5:30 a.m. to get ready and eat breakfast, take a bus to Meramec, take his classes, and then come back to the apartments where he plays a popular Vietnamese card game with his friends, relaxes, and studies.
Back in his home town of Vientiane, Toui reports the English News on Lao National Television, Channel 1.
After spending four years at National University of Laos majoring in their new subject, International Relations, Toui will get his degree in July.
Not only does Toui speak Lao and English, but he also speaks French.
There are some pretty concrete differences between Laos and the U.S., one being that our town is cleaner than Laos said Toui.
“There is not much road construction here. In Laos, roads are dusty and bumpy,” Toui said.
The main difference is in climate. Back in Laos, the temperature is, at the lowest, 50, and at the highest, 90. So, when the students arrived here, they were fitted with winter coats and jackets to help prepare them.
Toui said he really likes the cold weather, saying he “doesn’t like sweat.”
Our school attire was also a surprise to Toui. Not used to seeing students walking around wearing t-shirts and jeans, Toui was required to wear a white dress shirt and black trousers to attend school back home.
If there’s one thing Toui does miss about Laos, it’s the food. Lao food consists mainly of rice or rice noodles, mixed with vegetables and either beef, pork, or fish. It’s much cheaper than food in here, although American food is available in the big cities in Laos.
Toui is a young man with a beaming smile across his face all of the time, and a will to succeed. “I really enjoy staying here, [there are] lots of friends from different countries,” Toui said.
