Blue Umbrella Official October 2018 issue | Page 12

OVERCOMING THE CHALLENGES
OF INTERNATIONAL LEARNING
s
By Em ily S.
It is back-to-school time and for
many of us international students, it
means re-memorizing our world clocks.
We are figuring out whether to get up
early or stay up late to attend Online
Whiteboard Hours and online
classrooms. All of this may seem a little
overwhelming at first, but there are
some ways to conquer these
difficulties.
I asked my friend Suricke about
this, and she shared some tips. Here
are some of the tips she shared,
alongside some tips that I have already
learned, on how to overcome the
struggles that being an international
student whirls at us.
Firstly, there will be time
differences. I have an 8-hour time
difference from where I live to Central
Time in the United States. Aside from
memorizing the time zones, you can
reach out to your teachers and see
what their advice is if their office hours
or Online Whiteboard Hours are too
late for you. The Academic Help Line is
open from 9:00AM to 3:00PM Central
Time, which might be a better time for
you.
However, do not let time
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differences harm you. You should make
friends, get to know the teachers, and
be involved in your classes. It is such a
blessing to get to meet people from all
over the globe. Additionally, the
teachers are helpful, and some of them
are either from different countries or
have lived internationally. Do not be
afraid to stay up the extra hour to do a
class. The classes are great
opportunities to meet different
teachers, to meet friends from all over
the world, and to better understand
your coursework.
Take on the challenge of learning
a second (or third) language!
Communicating in another language
opens so many doors. Even though
sometimes the languages can get all
messed up in your head, you have so
many opportunities once you have
mastered them. Also, by learning
another language, you are learning
about another culture. There is a
Turkish proverb that I really like that
says, ?One who speaks only one
language is one person, but one who
speaks two languages is two people.?
Here?s to international living, time
zones, languages, and AOA!