An international perspective on Ohio State

Christa came all the way from China to study actuarial science at The Ohio State University. This is her first time in America, which means it is her first time navigating through American customs and culture, using English as her primary language, and eating American food. Originally, she thought food at Kennedy Commons was “real” American food, so we stopped into Panera for her first “real” American food experience as well as to discuss the differences between her home in China and her new home in Columbus.

What part of China are you from?

I’m from Guangdong – it’s a province, nearly the most southern part of China – and the city I came from is Zsuhai. It’s not a big city. It’s a small city, but I really like it. The air condition is nearly the top, but if I’m in a big city in China, the air condition would be really bad. Like if I’m in Beijing…Beijing has the most serious air pollution in China.

Is Columbus more like the city you’re from or is it closer to being like Beijing?

I think it’s kind of in the middle. It’s more like Zsuhai; maybe Beijing is like New York here? It’s crowded and busy and if you live there, everyone is really busy. The amount of people is really a lot.

Does Columbus remind you of home at all? Are there similarities between here and the city you’re from?

The pace is kind of the same. I think it’s not really fast here…it’s kind of relaxing and it makes me really comfortable. The only pressure I get is from studying.

Here I laugh and say, “I think that applies to all of us!”

What made you want to come to America to study instead of staying in China?

There are a lot of reasons, I think. At first, my parents think the competition in China is really intense and they don’t want me to do the competition and they just want to send me here. Education in America is kind of the best, so I think studying here can really help me. And also, isn’t it really cool because you just study in a totally different country that you’ve never been to before? It can foster you and let you experience everything, not just in an educational way, but in daily life and other stuff; I became more independent.

When did you start learning how to speak English? Do your parents speak English at home?

No, they don’t know how to speak English; they can just speak Chinese. I think it’s about six years, but a lot of them are just the required course in school. Every Chinese student needs to take English for their second language. We can’t choose. Like you guys, you can choose French, Spanish…we can’t choose; we have to take it. But I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because English is the most common language in the world.

How else did your high school differ from American high school?

There are a lot of differences. In general, the school here has more freedom. Do you guys go to school at 8 a.m.?

I responded, “It depends on what school you go to, but my school started at 7:20.” Christa is surprised by this and continued to describe her high school experience to me.

We need to go to school at about 8. Before that, we need to go into our school before 7:30 and we need to read out loud from the textbook. We usually have 5 classes before lunch. 12-1, one hour, is the lunch time and then we have another hour to rest. Then at 2:30, we start our afternoon classes. We usually use the half hour to prepare something…you wake up and prepare something. In primary school and middle school, we leave after all our classes end around 6 p.m., but in high school, it’s different. After our last classes, we can have a break – like two hours – then go back to our classrooms and study. It’s required. We study until 9 p.m. Also, in China, we always have the same students in a classroom. We don’t change. Every class is in the same classroom with a different teacher. It’s the reverse of here.

Are the classes here similar to what you would have taken if you went to college in China?

I think it’s kind of like here in America. When you’re in college, everyone chooses what you want to take. The lectures are just like ours here, but in Chinese college, it’s not as hard as here. Picking a college in China is not that hard, but if you want to take a graduate test, that’s hard.

What is your favorite part about being here?

The environment. I really like how the city is big and the air is good. When I came here, it was so beautiful. Like, when I want to take a picture, I don’t even have to use a filter; it means that the scenery is good enough, isn’t it?

Even though there are many differences between Chinese and American culture, Christa has found a new home here in Columbus as an Ohio State Buckeye and will continue in scarlet and gray for the remainder of her four years of undergraduate studies.