Mohamed Al Nuwais
WAC 107
Tues/Thurs 3:30-4:20 PM
Dr. Andrea Dickens
November 20, 2014
My International Experience
By:
Mohamed Al Nuwais
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Coming to America was the most interesting experience for me. Now that I have been here
in America for some time, I feel a little bit more comfortable with staying on my own and taking
care of myself. Starting off in a new country at first for me was very scary and unfamiliar
territory. I had to learn how to speak a new language, learn American culture and jargons, and
learn how to provide for my necessities without my Father and Mother. I think that this
experience has helped me be more open-minded with other countries outside of mines.
My flight was very long when I first came here. It was very tiring as I made my way via plane
from Abu Dubai, to Chicago, and then to Phoenix. The plane ride was very packed with lots of
people also going on a journey outside of my country. I didn’t sleep at all as I was very nervous
and excited to see what America was about and whether it was similar to what I saw on
television. I was very hungry because I don’t like airplane food.
To keep me from thinking about how hungry I was, I decided to play games, watch movies,
and listen to music the whole flight to keep me distracted. On the plane ride, I had went with
my Mother. My mother was very tired and slept most of the trip. She was very calm and was
very happy and positive about the trip to America.
It has become common today that airplanes can take you where you want to go very quickly.
However, I was on the flight for 17 hours and then I landed in Chicago and stayed there for 4
hours due to a storm. I finally reached Phoenix and it was very noisy at the Airport. There was
a lot of people walking around with luggages and dressed in shorts and sandals because it was
very warm outside. There was bright lights and noise coming from the speakers for people to
get on their plane ride.
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When I arrived at the Airport, it was very late at night and there was transportation waiting
for me and ASU students to go to their hotels. There was other ASU students waiting with me
for the transportation which was a shuttle bus. I was very hungry and my stomach growled as I
traveled on the bus because I had not had lunch or dinner. I noticed that on the bus, everyone
was very quiet and did not speak to each other. The A/C in the bus was very loud and made it
hard for me to hear anything outside.
Everyone on the bus was wearing shorts and sandals and I wore long jeans with a t-shirt,
jacket, and a backpack. It seems that everyone seemed to fit in with the typical dress code that
Arizonians wear. This helped me feel at ease and more confident that I would know what types
of clothing to wear when I go to school here. Many people assume that Arizona stays hot all
year round . However, staying here, Arizona does get very cold during the winter.
When I arrived at the hotel, the elevator did not work! However, because my room was on the
first floor, it was easy to carry my large luggage’s there. In the hotel, I saw a lobby, a breakfast
area, and I met the manager. The manager was very friendly and had on glasses. He was very
tall and helpful to me with getting comfortable in my hotel. As soon as I got to my hotel, I slept
for a very long time.
Once I had enough sleep, I decided to go with my Mother to look for an apartment to stay in.
When looking for an apartment, it was very hard and I was very mad. Every place we looked
was full and it was difficult to find somewhere to stay. Most Americans have always believed
that that it can be easy to find any apartment. However, because I was late arriving to America
due to a hold on my scholarship, this was not the case .
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In the end, I managed to find a new apartment. I was the first person to live in it! What I
noticed about the apartment is that it was very clean, safe, and the leasing office faculty
members were very helpful and knowledgeable to my Mother and me. Most individual think
that moving in can be easy when you have a moving company. However, as an international
student, moving in was really hard because we did not have a car .
My mother and I had to wait for my friends to come to Arizona to help me find furniture and
move everything into my house. In my apartment, I had to learn how to cook and clean my
own clothes and manage my own time with school. Doing all of this on my own, I found this to
be very easy and I was happy that I had adjusted into my own place without my parents. It was
very tiring in the beginning to teach myself because I did not have internet at first.
My first weeks at Arizona State University was very busy for me. I was very nervous but
excited to start school. It was raining outside and there were people running around trying to
get to where they were going. I went to the WP Carey Business School, took a map, and met
with my Academic advisor to discuss my schedule and classes. My academic advisor was
wearing a ASU t-shirt and was in room BA 160. He was very friendly and helpful with my first
few week.
I took a tour around ASU and went to the international student department. I felt relieved
that I was not the only international student experiencing a new country! There was a lot of
international students from around the world and some were talking with each other. Most of
staff members were wearing name tags in the department.
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In the international department, it was really crowed. I was confused about this so I asked
one of the staff members why it was crowed. They told me that it was one of the biggest years
to have international students and I was very surprised to see such a big group of students with
different diversity! All of the student felt comfortable with each other and was also very
excited to be here in America. This made me feel positive and ready to begin my experience as
an international student.
As an international student, learning English was very easy for me because my school back
home was international and English played a big part. All of my subjects were in English except
Arabic and Islamic classes. What helped me get used to American culture was doing a lot of
presentations in my classes. I also did the SAT test along with some other test to help me with
English. Also, I did a lot of research and read about the culture and how to speak with people in
America and at Arizona State University to prepare me in having a positive social experience in
America.
I felt very lucky that I knew how to speak English before coming to America. For example, I
managed to complete task for my class assignments very easy. Also, I knew how to write
professional emails, but taking more English classes helped me improve and learn how to write
it in a professional format. At first glance, most people would think that internationals coming
to America would be very hard . However, I found this to be challenging and a joyful
experience.
My English and the way I use English in technology has improved since I learned how to use
Blackboard and other sites such as schoolology. This has helped me improve how I write papers
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and discussions on blackboard to my teacher and classmates. For example, in class I learned
how to write a proficiency narrative essay by using vivid details to give my audience a mental
image of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures (pg. 3, “The Norton Field Guide to
Writing”). Also, I learned that when writing English papers or writing a descriptive narrative, it
must be interesting for the audience and paint a clear and vivid picture on paper.
As an international student, I was at first very scared and nervous because I did not know
what to expect. Most international students have always believed that coming to America
would be hard because people wouldn’t understand their way of speaking or writing,.
However, when I spoke with people in America, they were kind, friendly, and knew how to
express to me in English the information that I needed clearly, professionally, and politely. Due
to individuals speaking with me in this way, it has help me also learn how to communicate with
friends at school, in my groups at school, and when speaking to my teacher and advisor. All of
these moments have helped shape my experience as an international student at ASU.
References and Resources:
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Nichols, Shannon. "The Norton FIELD GUIDE TO WRITING." The Norton FIELD
GUIDE TO WRITING. N.p., Spring 2005. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/write/fieldguide/writing_guides.asp#BOLD01>.
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