Pitt’s international students adapt to life in the ol’ U.S. of A.

Shahid Khan arrived in the United States five years ago, ready to start his first year at… Shahid Khan arrived in the United States five years ago, ready to start his first year at Pitt, full of hopes and aspirations. But Khan, 25, had more to worry about than his course load.

Because four of his six siblings were already doctors, Khan wrestled with the expectations of his family and culture back in Pakistan.

“You have to think about the honor and the dignity of the family before you think about yourself,” he said.

Khan moved in with his brother, a doctor in Pittsburgh, and got a job as a nursing assistant at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. He decided to major in information sciences.

He enjoyed being able to spend time with his brother, but he began to feel disconnected from the student community.

Khan made the decision to move into the Intercultural House.

He enjoyed interacting with other students, but grew dissatisfied with his major.

“I felt that I could do information sciences, but I wouldn’t be able to make a difference,” he said.

He switched his major to film, which is something that has always interested him. He explained that majors such as film are offered in other countries, but he doesn’t feel there is much of a future for them there.

“One thing is for sure, if you have talent, nobody can stop you,” Khan said.

His family does not support his change of major, and he said that they are worried he won’t find a job in his field.

He feels there is less pressure from families in the United States.

“People make their own decisions without worrying about the family name,” he said.

Jamie Rayman, the assistant director for programming at Pitt’s Office of International Services, said that many international students go through a difficult and expensive process to come study in America.

“For them to be here shows a certain level of sincerity and perseverance,” she said. Rayman added that Sept. 11, 2001, has not affected the number of Pitt’s international students drastically, but she does believe that the government has made it very hard for students to come to the United States.

Interviews for student visas have become very lengthy and a large, nonrefundable fee must paid in order to apply, Rayman said.

Rayman said that the majority of international students at Pitt are graduate students, and that many bring their spouse and children with them.

“It really supports you socially if the people you are close to are with you,” Rayman said.

The Office of International Services arranges activities for the international students and their families, to give them support and help them adapt to a new culture and environment.

“These people need to know how to do things like driving in snow and dressing for the cold,” Rayman said.

She added that international students sometimes experience changing emotions: They start off excited and gradually become frustrated or depressed, but then balance out.

“People come back up,” Rayman said. “That’s really the adjustment to being bicultural.”

Wei-hsien Chang, a student from Taiwan, is very familiar with the difficulties in becoming bicultural.

She arrived in the United States eight months ago, speaking little English and unprepared for the harsh weather in Pittsburgh.

“At first, I was so excited,” she said. “But then after a while I was sad because every day there was snow.”

Chang explained that it is very hot and humid in Taiwan, so the first time she saw snow was this past winter.

She also suffered from homesickness.

“After one month, I really missed Taiwan,” she said. “I missed the food in Taiwan, my family, my friends.”

On top of these difficulties, Chang also struggled with her English.

She said that it was frustrating to feel a certain way, yet not be able to find the words to express what she wanted to say. She had particular difficulty understanding her professors, and she would sometimes have to go home after class and read the textbook to figure out what the professor was saying.

Her English has improved significantly in the past months, yet she still has trouble understanding people who speak very fast.

Gradually, other areas of her life in the United States began to improve.

“I’ve made a lot of friends here, especially in the [Intercultural] House,” she said. “The people here are friendly.”

Chang said that she has noticed other differences between Taiwan and the United States.

“In Taiwan, parents will take care of their kids until they’re married,” she said. “In the United States, parents will become your friend. In Taiwan, the child is always the child.”

At times Chang feels like she is rushed to do too many things, and she said one of the important lessons she has learned in the United States is time management.

“Keep your schedule well and do everything on time,” she said, adding that time constraints are a lot stricter in the United States than in Taiwan.

On the other hand, Rachel Amram, a graduate student from Jerusalem, sees her time in the United States as a break from her demanding schedule.

Amram, 60, is a master’s degree awardee of a fellowship through Pitt’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. She’s proud to be the first and only candidate from her country.

“I was totally amazed to find myself among the candidates,” she said. She has been in the United States for three weeks and plans to study for her master’s degree in public management, specializing in international conflict resolution from a family’s point of view.

This isn’t Amram’s first time in America. She came to the United States with her husband when she was 24, and she has noticed many changes in American culture since her last visit. She said that people seem more aggressive.

“I never heard people blowing their [car] horns as much as now,” she said.

Amram added that she thinks it’s a shame that people have to be afraid to walk home late at night.

Amram is a feminist and a human rights activist. She is one of the founding members of the Coalition of Women for Peace, a nonviolent organization made up entirely of women in support of human rights.

The women of the Coalition go to checkpoints between Israel and Palestine to ensure that soldiers do not violate human rights, she said.

In the United States, Amram said she plans to focus on academics, but still wants to get involved with as many organizations as possible.

Furthering her cultural exchange, Amram has made friends and connections in her first three weeks in Pittsburgh.

She recently went on a boating excursion with some friends from China whom she met through International Services.