The Flare
Features
Special Edition FRIDAY November 20, 2015
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Blending traditions makes unique celebrations
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rowing up, I never had an “average” Thanksgiving until I was well into my teenage years. Instead of having the traditional turkey for Thanksgiving, my family always had lamb. The same applied for Christmas. In my younger years, I would always see cartoon depictions of turkeys and hear about turkey dinner in holiday cartoons. It seemed to be one of, if not the most iconic food DUSTIN TAYLOR for Thanksgiving. But, I was Staff Writer a teenager before I was to ever have turkey on either Thanksgiving or Christmas. Instead, I was used to eating lamb on these special occasions, something that my childhood friends had never tried and thought was strange. But, this is a common occurrence for a first-generation American, being an American but having a twist on American traditions. My parents are, quite obviously, not from here, and I don’t just mean Kilgore or Texas. My father is from Scotland and my mother is from New Zealand. The two of them were set up on a blind date, and they’ve been together ever since. When my father decided to move to America, he asked my mother to marry him and they both made the leap of coming here after their marriage. My father had spent some time in America before, but for my mother, it was completely new. When they moved across the Pacific, they were committing to a lifetime of uncertainty. But, thanks to their courage, I was born in America and have lived a great life. Because of my parents’ courage to face the unknown while leaving almost every family member and every friend for support back in New Zealand. I was born a first-generation American, which allowed me to see and hear about the traditions of Americans and the more local traditions, the same as other kids my age. But unlike the other kids’ families, my family was rather unaware of these traditions until my brother came home from school when he was seven and talked to my parents about it. My parents had of course heard of Thanksgiving, but they didn’t see it as a big deal since the Pilgrims’ story had no real bearing on them. But after my siblings talked about it, my parents made the decision to put forth the effort and celebrate Thanksgiving, making my siblings, and eventually me once I was born, feel as though it was our tradition as well. As a first-generation American, your parents may try to learn and celebrate these newfound traditions with you so that you don’t feel as though you are excluded or different from your friends. My parents felt that since America was my siblings’ and my homeland that we should celebrate, and they did their best to make us feel like we were no different from our friends. We would dress up for Halloween and go out trick-or-treating, we would celebrate Thanksgiving - albeit with a lamb rather than a turkey, and do many other “American” things. I grew up as an American, because I was one, but also because my parents did everything they could to make sure that I grew up believing that; believing that America is my country. Even though my parents did their best to make me not feel unwelcome or out of place in this country, to some degree I have felt like a bit of an outsider, like I am out of place in this world. My heritage is from Scotland and New Zealand, and yet I have never been to Scotland and only a handful of times to New Zealand. I’m a stranger in those lands, being viewed by the people there as an American and a tourist, while being a stranger in America, and especially in Texas, as I have no interest in football, and I find the prom and high school graduation ceremonies to be strange. Parents are a major influence on us as we grow up, so of course my ideas and knowledge base would be a bit different than an American whose family has been here for over a hundred years and has a belief system that has been shaped and changed by their location and history over numerous generations. With my accent, I seem like just another American, yet the story of my family is a greatly different one than what most would think. They see me and hear what sounds like just another American, and it would never cross their mind, because there’s no reason to. I look and sound like an American because I am. But like the countless first-generation Americans that have been born here over the centuries, my families’ story began elsewhere, but mine begins here. Dustin Taylor is a Journalism major from Longview
Tina Marie Reed / THE FLARE
International students grow accustomed to American culture and learn how to cope with being far from home.
Shattering stereotypes ALEX JACOBO Staff Writer
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ost students had to start over when they began college; new people, teachers, classes and in some cases even a new home. Now imagine having to do all of those things but add a new language, country, time zone, culture and cuisine to the equation. It cannot be an easy task; however, it is exactly what so many students do every year. More than seven countries are represented here at KC. Most American students may be unfamiliar with the many struggles their fellow classmates have endured which is why five international students have decided to open up and speak of their experiences. Sophomore Monica Agathiartri from Jakarta, Indonesia; sophomore Aiko Orozco from Moroleon, Mexico; freshman Sayaka Komoriya from Tokyo, Japan; Yukito Yoshika from Hyogo, Japan; and freshman Yuta Kanna from Okinawa, Japan all moved to the US for a chance at a better life, education and more opportunities. However, once they found themselves here they encountered many obstacles along the way; the language barrier, lack of transportation and loneliness. Kanna explains that he felt nervous about studying English the first time he arrived at KC and felt insecure about his English skill. Agathiatri on the other hand was a bit shocked she continues to explain that in her country Indonesia she used to live in Jakarta where life is bustling and people
“...we’re just here to make a better life for ourselves.” are everywhere, so when she arrived at Kilgore the calm of the town and lack of attractions took her by surprise. Another issue the students addressed was the lack of public transportation in Longview and Kilgore. Many of them never had the need to learn to drive in their home countries since public transportation was readily available. Komoriya who is originally from Tokyo, Japan, explains that back home she used to ride the train everywhere so when she arrived here she was incredibly bored. However, she proceeded to describe how she felt when she realized she had no means of transportation, friends or family upon arriving. “I was so sad; every day I used to cry and call my mom telling her I wanted to go back as soon as possible” she said. Yoshika alternately looked forward to moving to KC and was not sad. He wanted to see the new landscapes the US had to offer. So what has helped all these students with their various struggles and obstacles? Every one of them had a different answer; Komoriya explains that her new found faith in God has helped her. Agathiatri and Orozco both said the fact that their families are here has aided their adaptation. Yoshika said Estonia Graves, KC’s international student counselor, and his roommate who he says has been really nice and answers any questions he may have. Kanna said other international students like Yoshika have helped. They unanimously agreed that getting involved on campus is one of the biggest helps in combating loneliness. Komoriya has become an officer in International Student Club. Agathiatri works at the Registrar’s Office. Orozco
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has been an orientation leader for two years in a row, and Kanna is a member of the Student Government Association. Getting involved has made it easier for them to meet new people, many of which have become their good friends. As Agathiatri said, “I’ve found friends; the ones who make me belong here; the ones who make me feel comfortable.” Unfortunately, American culture hasn’t always been kind and some of them have had a few negative experiences. For example, when one of the students complained about their roommate using something of theirs without asking and although that may not seem like a big deal to Americans it was definitely perceived as rude by them. Orozco remembered how her classmates wouldn’t talk to her because she wasn’t proficient in English. Overall the good outweighs the bad and their experiences have been good. In reality all they want is to be thought of as any other student. Agathiatri expresses her frustration with stereotypes. Specifically when people assume everyone from an Asian country is smart or really good at math. Others like Komoriya say “Don’t ask me about anime!”. But what Orozco says is very powerful. She begins by alluding to Donald Trump’s infamous statement about Mexicans by saying “We’re not all drug dealers and rapists; sadly some people really believe that but like everyone else we’re just here to make a better life for ourselves”. Native students are presented with an opportunity every day to learn and become culturally competent, so instead of letting such differences separate the student body why not let them bring us closer together?
POLICE RIDE ALONG Page 2B
PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY Pages 4B - 5B
ATHLETIC TRAINERS Page 7B
VOCALIST EXTRAORDINAIRE Page 3B
AGRICULTURE STUDENTS Page 6B
FEATURED ARTIST Q&A Page 8B