International Perspective

It’s 5.30 on a Friday evening, and I have just been ushered in to one of the international student’s kitchen. It’s a cosy space and one of them is making a delicious stir-fry, which is sending me, dizzy with hunger. It is at this point that I miss my mum’s Mauritian cuisine.

I have come here to interview a bunch of students about being an international in Durham. A little bit heavy for a Friday evening? I agree. After all, my assumptions about life as an international student were influenced by my parents’ disturbing accounts of being an international during the 70’s.

Members of the Indian Workers Association in the 1970s

Granted this was in the 70’s, a period in which, the notion of internationals in Britain was seen as a strange phenomenon- that was often met with outright racism.However with articles that claim, ‘international students in London, are most likely to experience poor customer service’ and the author of another article claiming ‘as a British citizen I feel ashamed that international students are treated with nothing but contempt.’ It is sometimes difficult to believe that things have changed profoundly since the 70’s.

Black and white workers protesting against racist work permit laws in 1979

Well where to start? It’s been a year since these students were freshers, so I appreciate it might be difficult for them to recall.

I delve into the question that has intrigued me about international freshers’ week : ‘Do you think it is right to have a separate freshers’ week for international students?’ I expected the answer to be ‘No, it segregates us from the domestic students’. However, to my surprise, unanimously, the answer was: ‘Yes it is necessary!’

I interject, ‘You think it is a good thing? Surely, you’ve made your friends in the first week – therefore it doesn’t motivate you to make an effort with the domestic students?’ My reasoning was soon to be proven wrong by Vishali, president of the Buddhist society.

She explained: ‘I know a lot of domestic students who feel like that. But I think it is necessary. When you arrive here you don’t have a bank account, a phone number etc. The main point of international freshers’ week is to sort out the basic needs to live! Whereas the focal point for the domestic freshers’ week is just get to know everyone. During international fresher’s week you must register your passport – otherwise you get kicked out of the country.’

It had never occurred to me to think of international freshers’ week like this before; international freshers’ week provides those students with a week, to achieve an ‘even-playing field’ with the domestic students who don’t have to worry about these sorts of things. Come to think of it: a week to organise your bank account, phone number and passport is not a long time at all.

St Mary’s International Fresher Reps

I sheepishly move on to a question that I’m slightly nervous about asking, ‘What is your view about the idea that international students stick together , therefore come across as being anti-social?’ Laughter emerges from this question, which puts me at ease.

One of them explains: ‘I can see where they are coming from. It is a chicken and egg sort of dilemma – you don’t know which one came first. It’s either they came up with the notion that we are snobbish first, or we try to connect with them , and we can’t really get through – so we stop trying .It is a self-fulfilling prophecy on both ends.’

Ben, the president of the Singaporean society, points out, ‘One thing that really stops international students putting themselves out there, is that some of them don’t speak English that well. They are afraid of either embarrassing themselves, or are unsure about how to behave .’

I wonder: ‘So do you think that domestic students should make more of an effort with international students?’ They explain: ‘Well it’s illogical – because there are so many people from the domestic, therefore, they are more comfortable with each other . If I was a domestic student, turning the tables around, I think it would be so easy for me not to care for the minority -and just to stick to my friends.’

So what about the locals? How do they treat you? Ben answers this: ‘Well you get some racial slurs.’

My stomach sinks as I ask Ben to expand upon this, he says: ‘They are not really that bad, they just make Chinese sounding words, if we are in a group. I don’t know how to respond. I don’t know if they are just being funny or genuinely …I can’t tell. It normally happens at night when they are drunk.

So you don’t know whether to attribute their behavior to the alcohol. I interject, ‘Can it be justified even if they are under the influence of alcohol?’ He responds,’ I don’t know- it really depends on what they do. If they throw something at me then it is not justifiable. But if they say Chinese sounding words – then I would be okay.’

Members of the Singaporean Society

I wanted to clarify, ‘These racial slurs, don’t come from Durham students’ right?’ He comments, ‘I don’t know.’ Great, I think to myself, this has taken a sour turn!

I ask them about their respective colleges, ‘Do you think colleges do enough to help international students?’ They eagerly respond, ‘100%, definitely! I know people that are in universities without a collegiate system, and they find it harder to integrate. This is because; they do not have a sense of camaraderie. You feel more at home at your college; As they are the ones that go to the lengths of organizing international freshers’ week for us!’

Colleges play an important role in helping international students to settle in

It is on this positive note that Vishali offers me some of her tofu stir-fry. It occurred to me, whilst I gorged myself on the delicious stir fry, that in the case of Durham, the media’s depiction of international students as helpless ‘lost lambs’, whom universities do not bother aiding, does not bear relevance here.

Although more needs to be done to stop these ‘racial slurs’, the students were considerably helped by their colleges; an opportunity that was not made available to the internationals students more than a decade ago. However, this is not to say, that we should no longer strive to better our current treatment towards internationals.

For instance: what struck me about these students was that they were exceptionally aware and understanding of the domestic perspectives. Perhaps a little bit more understanding from the domestic students towards the international students might improve our current treatment towards them.