International students face unique challenges

I came to America to improve my English late last August. It's been eight months since then, and I feel that the America I am looking at now is different from the one I saw at first. I have been influenced by both positive and negative experiences.\nDuring my fourth month in America, I was walking toward the bus stop from the grocery store. All of a sudden, a car passed by me. There were four guys in the car and they started to whistle at me. \nBelieve it or not, I had already gotten used to such unreasonable whistling or yelling at Asian girls through my own experiences and from the stories of others. So I ignored it and kept going my way. But something I cannot even now believe happened right after that. The guys circled around the parking lot next to the path where I was walking and drove by me again. This time, they threw stones at me, yelling obscenities, and drove away.\nI felt numb. I could not do anything except watch them helplessly until they disappeared. I could not understand why such a thing had to happen to me here and why they had to do such an unspeakable thing to me.\nA similar thing happened to my sister. She received a volley of charcoal thrown by some fraternity guys partying in their houses. Another time, some American boys splashed eggs all over one of her friends. After that, she warned my sister that she should not walk on the street where that horrible thing happened.\nThere are many international students in the United States and they came here with their own reasons. Because they came here voluntarily, they are ready to face the problems that happen to them here. But when insulting and humiliating things occur, they do not know how to interpret and understand such Americans' groundlessly rude attitudes. Those kind of incidents are beyond the limits that international students can understand. \nUnpleasant emotions can also be created in the process of getting over the language barrier. When I make a call to the telephone company, the cable company, go to the bank or even order a pizza, sometimes they speak too fast. Or they use more difficult words on purpose after they catch the fact that I am not a native speaker. They might want to show off their natural English fluency to an Asian girl whose English isn't as refined, correct, clear or fluent as theirs.\nAfter getting their "real-quick" service, I find myself still trying to figure out what they meant, and suddenly, some scary feelings rush into me that I am left alone in this strange country. I still have some accents and flat intonation in my English and some native speakers tease me about them. If they are just kidding me as friends, that's fine with me. Sincere advice about my speaking is appreciated. But when I feel they are really making fun of my speech, I feel my serious endeavor is ridiculed. That is hurtful.\nOf course, there are good American people as well: Mike, who brought me to church every Sunday and invited me to Thanksgiving dinner to show me traditional American culture; Rachel, who has helped my English and genuinely understood problems I felt learning English based on her experiences in Germany as a German learner; Wade, who corrected my pronunciation and accent so kindly; Sarah, who sincerely consoled me when I felt homesick and who was willing to spare her precious time when I suggested the Bible study; another Mike, who has been my friend whenever I feel lonely and who also told me about sex and smoking weed, two of the major components of American culture, both interesting to me; Jus and Des, my wonderful roommates who gave me a place to live for a very cheap price, who have put up with my bothering them all the time at home with endless questions about English, who brought me to bars and gave me lots of courage and consolation when I was having a tough time a while ago. All of these people said they would always help me out whenever I was in trouble, and I have to say here how happy and thankful I felt for that.\nMy roommates' friends, Yon-ju, Arsen, Suchi, Madu, Sabeeh, Billy and Seras, have treated me as their close friend even though I was just a stranger in their group. They were those who made me feel that America was still a "melting pot."\nIt is so sad that insulting experiences caused by some indiscreet Americans keep happening to international students. Such incidents get weighed against the sincerity and thoughtfulness of a number of nice Americans. America has been a melting pot -- or a tossed salad -- and I think this is a very beautiful and proud title, a place where there is a mixing of people of different races and nations.\nOnly America could assume this character in the world and I think Americans should be proud of this fact and try to keep it. Will America fulfill its promise and will all Americans welcome or at least tolerate international students someday soon? I hope so.