ANCHORAGE, Alaska—
Preparing dinner in the Giard home has now become a family tradition -- and by family, that includes 19-year-old Yuqing Wang. For this host family, Wang opens up a world of perspectives.
“One more different thing is you drink water directly from the tap, but we cook the water afterwards,”said Wang, as she explained the differences between the United States and China.
Wang first came to Alaska as a high-school exchange student, with lots of misconceptions.
“When I first heard Alaska, I heard people live in ice houses and when I came here it was so different,” she said.
Wang is back in the Last Frontier as an international student at the University of Alaska Anchorage, studying accounting.
“I just want to finish college at UAA and (get a) master’s degree or Ph.D., so keep learning,” she said.
But, it’s not easy.
“Language is the first challenge because I’m thinking Chinese in my head and translate to English, and speaking out, it's very difficult. Pronunciation, like different accents,” explained Wang.
She's one in a growing population of out-of-country students enrolled on the UAA campus.
“They're a huge economic benefit to our state and a benefit to our classrooms because they are representing diverse perspectives, particularly the Saudis because they're brand-new,” said International Student Adviser Doni Williams. “It's like having the palm of the world here at UAA for our domestic students.”
It's now easy for 22-year-old Yuranan Ubabooth to laugh off and share the challenges he faced when he came to Alaska more than three years ago to study mechanical engineering.
He's come a long way adjusting from lifein Thailand to life in America.
“I think I need more American friends to teach me how to order, but I look forward to Subway, to going back,” Ubabooth said.
His first day ordering at the Subway sandwich shop is a story he's shared time and time again. He had practiced in Thailand ordering from a fast-food shop, but the real experience overwhelmed him with choices.
“I went there and ordered,’Okay, excuse me. Please sir, I would like a hamburger like that,’” Ubabooth said. “And I point to that picture. And he was like, ‘Okay, what kind of bread do you like?’ Technically in Thailand you have bread for animals. I just said I don’t want to eat animal bread -- I told him I would like to eat human bread please. And he looked at me really odd, and said, ‘I suggest you (order) Italian bread.’”
By then, Ubabooth said his experience ordering lunch had drawn spectators.
“People in line looked at me really odd. And he said, ‘Okay, what kind of cheese would you like?’” Ubabooth recalled. “I talked to myself, “I got big trouble now.’ [I asked] how many kind of cheese do you have? And he said everything. But I have no idea. My first day at school my English was so poor and I said okay, ‘I would like to be American student here. Can you suggest any cheese?’ (He said,) ‘Let me give you American cheese.’”
For Ubabooth, even the shift in food from rice to bread was a big change.
“It was embarrassing, but fine; it’s my experience,” he said.
But now, it's all about soaking in American culture.
“I love to go to the gym. I love cooking. I love reading sometimes,” he added. “And, I love YouTube.”
Email Christine Kim
