Rhythm Across the World

Ever been curious about how international students adjust to life at Temple? Writer Ryan Tian spoke with a couple to hear how life in America compares to life abroad.

By Ryan Tian

While it’s not uncommon for students to come from hundreds or even thousands of miles away to study at Temple, only about 8 percent come from overseas. I met with Dongting Gao, a junior from China studying computer science, and Hibiki Tomizawa, a sophomore from Japan studying architecture. They sat down to talk with me about their time at Temple, both in and out of class.

Ryan Tian: What made you want to study at Temple?

Dongting Gao: I think that by studying abroad, I can not only learn some knowledge related to my major, but I can also broaden my horizons and get to know some friends from every country.

Hibiki Tomizawa: My family had a job in Taiwan, so I went with them. I stayed at an international school in Taiwan for two years, where I learned some English skills. Then I thought that I want to use English more often, so I came here to the U.S. to study.

RT: How is your experience at Temple so far?

DG: I had some culture shock. I think we have a very different culture between China and America, like how to make

friends and how to study. In China, I think our studying method is to know how to organize your studying time, but in America, I think in some spare time, you need to do your homework.

HT: My family has an international job, so we went to Brazil, also like Taiwan. I don’t feel homesick or any type of culture shock, but it’s completely different compared to my home country of Japan. It’s really hard to get used to. Japanese education is kind of like just sitting in a seat, taking the class, and listening to what the teacher is saying. In the U.S., we have a lot of group work, and I have to encourage myself to talk, so that’s really different.

RT: Have you faced any challenges during your time at Temple?

DG: Yeah, I faced a lot of challenges. For example, the first night when I came here, American food was not very comfortable for me, so I had to cook by myself. Sometimes I order food, like Chinese food, but it’s expensive.

HT: English is kind of my second language, so it’s really difficult to communicate with someone. If I want to say something, sometimes others don’t understand what I want to say.

RT: What do you want to do after college?

DG: I want to apply for my master’s degree because eventually, I will go back to my country. In my country, I think a master’s degree is very important for finding a good job. I will continue to study computer science, but I will do a new branch, like AI or data science.

HT: After I graduate, I will go back to Japan first and decide if I want to go to graduate school for architecture. I also want to experience some jobs related to design and learn more skills for the future.

RT: What do you like to do for fun?

DG: This semester, I have four classes. They are all major classes, so I feel very overwhelmed… [but] sometimes I visit museums like the Philadelphia Art Museum with my friends.

HT: I like going outside with my friends because they have cars. It’s usually easy to get somewhere, and I can experience different cultures. Also, people in town are really open-minded; they come to talk to me easily.