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Life as an International Student

Flags waving in air in Vines Center during Parade of Nations

How much are you willing to sacrifice to go after your dreams?

This is the question that almost a thousand international students ask themselves as they make one of their biggest decisions. A decision to leave almost everything behind and move to a different country. To above all experience the amazing Christian education that Liberty offers.

Kike’s Story

My name is Kike Caycedo, and I was an international student from Colombia. Coming to Liberty has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. I remember when I was about to graduate from high school and just knew I was going to go to Liberty for college. What I did not know was that my life was going to change in a way I will always be thankful for.

At only 17 years old I moved to Lynchburg to start my education at Liberty. I arrived in January of 2016, which was one of the coldest winters I have experienced in Lynchburg. To make it more extreme, it was my very first time experiencing winter and seeing snow! I was so excited about the many new things that I was about to experience for the first time. However, I totally ignored the fact that big changes like this come with challenges as well.

Challenges I Faced

During my sophomore year that I started to notice all the challenges facing me. In other words, culture shock and homesickness were about to happen. Do not get me wrong, going through these challenges are normal for every international student. To some, it comes faster than to others, but for me, it took a year. Yes, after a whole year, when I thought I had totally adjusted to living in a different country and to Liberty, it set in.

Let’s talk about the obvious. Yes, the fact that English was not my first language was an adjustment that took a couple of weeks. Adjusting to the American and Liberty culture was an easy transition. Maybe adjusting to the educational system was a little bit harder, but nothing I was not able to handle. So why was I experiencing this weird feeling of distress and worry? Thankfully, I had the perfect support system.

International Student Center Support

At Liberty, there is an office called The International Student Center, or we call it, the ISC. The ISC not only offers services for all the legal documentation that international students have to process, but they also intentionally care for our emotional health. The ISC builds and maintains a community that has helped me overcome all the fears I have ever had as an international student.

After a couple of weeks of talking with the staff of the ISC and my friends, I realized that my experience was totally normal. I knew that I was not the only one. Adjusting to change is as normal as feeling hungry after hours of not eating. We all cope with change differently, however, I came to realize that I experienced a moment where I had over analyzed the American culture and my own. I had started to compare and contrast everything with the two cultures almost as if I needed to choose one for the rest of my life.

Feeling at Home

Interesting, right? At the time, I failed to understand that it was normal to dislike aspects of both cultures. I started to realize that I could adjust well to where I was, while also knowing where I came from. This realization gave me the freedom to recognize and adopt all the things that I liked about this new American culture, while still honoring the aspects that I love from my home culture. I learned that I didn’t have to exclude one culture or the other, which helped me start feeling at home.

It did take some time, I am not going to lie, but it has been one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. I have never grown so much or felt so safe and secure about who I am. I can truly say that the ISC at Liberty, and all the friends I have had the honor to meet through the ISC, are the reason why I was able to succeed. Even though it was hard sometimes, I would not change a thing about it.

The International Student Center not only supports international students but can be a resource for domestic students. If you are interested in learning more about different cultures, please check out the International Student Center in DeMoss Hall!

 


Written By:

Kike Caycedo

kcaycedo@liberty.edu

Operations Assistant
International Student Center

 

 

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