From Middle East to Midwest: An international student and fraternity man’s time at IU

According to the iStart portal for international students, there were two undergraduate students from Kuwait enrolled in fall 2012, my first semester at IU. I have good reason to believe that I was one of those two students. That number rose to a whopping three in fall 2015.

The experience of leaving everything you know behind and embarking on your first real adventure thousands of miles away from home can be daunting enough as it is. To add to that, not knowing a single person from back home leads to the inevitable challenge of making new friends, understanding and accepting the social cues and cultural differences.

We international students have had to do all of this by trial and error, learning as we go along.

One thing I learned the hard way was to not wait around for my camel to take me to class

Just kidding, jokes, Kuwait is not a village, it’s actually got the world’s fifth largest oil reserve, making it a very developed nation.

I’m used to people simply replying with “oh, that’s cool” when I tell them that I grew up in Kuwait because nobody actually knows anything about it. Why would they? It’s a tiny dot on the globe, and most people wouldn’t find the idea of visiting a dry state very appealing from a touristic perspective. The absence of clubs and bars forces people to socialize sober, an idea not very well received by most college students here at IU.

Not quite sure if that is something we should be proud of, given that we’re all here for an education. I know people who’ve attended more $2 Tuesdays than some of their classes, which brings me back to another thing about international students.

Most of us tend to take our education quite seriously

I don’t know if we put that on account for cultural differences or the high, approximately $200,000 cost of our tuition. When your undergraduate degree comes with the opportunity cost of a Ferrari, you better hit the library once in a while.

I was given the choice of a very shiny new car and an education in Dubai or London. But I chose the U.S for a reason, it’s so far away from home that I’d be forced to adapt and eventually return with a more developed skill set. I believe most people who have to get on multiple flights to get to Bloomington, Indiana would feel the same way.

Growing through enriching exposure to Greek life

Before coming here, I didn’t quite get the concept or a fraternity. But I found myself going through the process of pledgeship a year later, during my third semester at IU. They say it’s the best time you never want to have again. Those weeks were hands down the most eye-opening of my college career.

The opportunity to become a part of a tightly knit brotherhood not only exemplifies diversity but also allows international students such as myself to build a lifelong network of friends and even potential business partners. I urge all international freshmen to consider joining a greek organization. It’s the lifeblood of social life here at IU and the elephant in every room. Try to count the number of lettered shirts and jackets you see in any given classroom. It’s a sign, and it’s slowly luring you in.

Thanks to some of my pledge brothers, I’ve had the chance to experience a traditional Thanksgiving for the past three years. Taking part in these Thanksgiving festivities truly gave me an authentic feel for American culture. It ultimately helped me break the culture shock and gave me a different perspective not only as a student, but also a citizen of the world.

A good showing of an authentic American Thanksgiving

All in all, as I look back at my college experience as a graduating senior, it’s going to be bittersweet leaving Bloomington behind. But I came here for a degree and a predetermined amount of time, and hopefully, so did you. Now that we’re here anyway, might as well make the best of it. Carpe noctem hoosiers, go seize the night.