From the Editor
A Home Away From Home
by Rosa Jimenez
Ask Yumiko Numata what she misses about home and the Japanese student will say “the food!” Ask other international students the same question, and you might hear the same answer.
For many foreign students, food wasn’t the biggest adjustment to coming to Walla Walla College. Most are from metropolises with populations of hundreds of thousands and even millions of residents. “When the plane landed, I thought I was at the wrong place,” says one African student, remembering his arrival at the Walla Walla airport.
Adjusting to college life can be difficult for any student, but consider what it may mean for the international student: adjusting to a different culture, climate and sometimes a different language.
Why do they do it? What is worth the paperwork, border crossings, and separation from home and everything familiar?
I can’t speak for every international student, but in those I talked with I sense they have found a purpose here and a place that is like a second home. The people are so nice, they said.
I also sense they feel privileged to be here. I hope that’s true, but I believe we have the privilege of calling them our students and friends. Out of all the schools in the world, they chose Walla Walla College.
