by Dan Reimold, Ph.D., USA Today

Wiktoria Parysek, a fresh graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, recently arrived at a Department of Motor Vehicles office weighed down by a veritable mountain of paperwork. As she recounted last week, “I trekked to the DMV armed with (take a deep breath): my old license, my passport, my Social Security card, my visa, my visa documents, my I-94 (proof of my legal entry into this country), my employment authorization document, two official letters to my current address (proof of residency) and a check to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to fund this circus. Yeah, it’s a mouthful.”

Until commencement day at Penn last month, Parysek was an international student. The German resident shared her document-saddled DMV journey as one example of the many, many stresses and surreal experiences foreign students face while studying, working and traveling in the United States. As she writes in a Daily Pennsylvanian column, headlined “Uncovering the World of Internationals,” “[T]here’s a lot that American students aren’t aware of when it comes to us students from a little further afield, even though they are almost certainly sitting next to us in class. Without sounding too dramatic, I truly believe there’s a fundamental gap in our intercultural communication here. . . . Yes, international students can drive. Yes, we can work. Yes, it’s extremely complicated — why don’t you ask me about it sometime?”

In the spirit of that request, I asked Parysek a few questions about her life in the United States and her advice for “world-strewn colleagues” who want to follow in her stead.

Q: What are the biggest difficulties you faced on a day-to-day basis as an international student?

A: Day-to-day is relatively easy. Other than not being able to call my family whenever I want to because of the time difference, the things which come up tend to be unexpected rather than every day. Like the process of getting reimbursed for something at work or not being able to participate in a study because of my non-U.S. citizenship. But I think it is so easy for me partly due to the fact that I have no language difficulties (other than occasionally mispronouncing words like “hover” because of my British background). I’ve met students here with extremely poor English skills and I often wonder how they get by.

Q: How much of the time do you feel like an ‘other’ or an ‘outsider’ here?

A: I would say quite a bit. Most of the time it’s intentional — sometimes it’s good to stand out. What I’ve always enjoyed, however, is being able to turn it on and off. If I want to blend in, I can — there’s no reason why my lab group needs to know my whole life story. But if I’m chatting with other internationals or trying to get a job, I’ll probably emphasize the fact that I’ve lived in four different countries and speak a few different languages. The trouble with this is seeing those positions I’ll never get hired for because they tell you right at the outset they won’t sponsor visas. Then I wish I could blend in again.

Q: What is your advice to international students who want to study and live in the States?

A: Be prepared for a lot of paperwork. But as long as you stay organized and patient, it shouldn’t be too hard. The anecdote from my column about my trip to the DMV actually has a happy ending. After I’d collected all of the required documents (including my Social Security card, which I had a particularly hard time locating), it was all pretty easy. The DMV worker actually thanked me for being so organized. I told him it’s the only way I can get anything done and he said, “You’re right, which makes my job easier, which makes your job easier, which definitely makes my job easier.” Yes, the system is long and tedious, but as long as you respect the fact that everyone plays a part and the rules are there for a reason — though probably one beyond me — you’ll be fine.

My other piece of advice would be to branch out. At least at Penn, the international students are typically the first ones on campus. It’s OK to seek out other people from your home country during international orientation, but don’t anchor yourself too soon. Make it a personal goal to meet people from 10 different states or countries on the first day of freshman orientation. Join a performing arts group. I joined one that’s quintessentially American, the marching band, and can truly say it’s where I met my best friends.

Q: A recent New York Times Magazine piece has stirred up lots of discussion. It is a mini-memoir by a man who secretly lived in the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant for years, even after he became a successful journalist. Do you see any semblance of comparison to his experiences and yours?

A: The piece truly moved me. It points out everything that is wrong with the immigration laws here in the U.S. Although I am a fully-documented non-immigrant, I’ve often complained about how the government is forcing well-educated graduates to leave, rather than opening doors for us to stay and give back to the country which educated us. My dream job is to be a high school English teacher, something the state of Pennsylvania will not let me do as a non-citizen. The certification policies prohibit me from working for the state’s school districts, despite my great enthusiasm and what I consider to be at least a decent education. Every time (Jose Antonio Vargas, the writer of the piece) reiterates his belief that if he works hard enough and exemplifies the model citizen he will be granted citizenship, a big part of me agreed with him. It’s like there’s a lack of trust between government and residents. I am a German resident, not a citizen, but am allowed to vote in local district elections. Can you imagine immigrants voting in the U.S.?

Dan Reimold, Ph.D., is a college journalism scholar who has written and presented about the student press throughout the U.S. and in Southeast Asia. He is an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Tampa, where he also advises The Minaret student newspaper. He maintains the student journalism industry blog College Media Matters.

http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/blog/uncovering-the-world-of-international-students-a-penn-graduate-shares-her-experiences