With our favorite items by our side, even a room the size of a closet can feel cozy. Inside talked to four international students about the items they brought from abroad to make Bloomington feel more like home.
The Campus Leader
Acheick Ag Mohamed brought his traditional clothes, called boubou, with him from Mali to wear on special occasions like Ramadan and campus diversity events. When he wears them on campus, he says people compliment him and ask questions about his tribe. “I definitely miss home when I wear them,” Acheick says, “but I tell myself that I’m here for a limited time to study to get a better future.”
Acheick is starting his master’s degree in public finance this year. He is also president of the African Students Association, a job he performs with pride. He lives in an off-campus apartment which looks nothing like his home in Mali. Acheick’s family recently moved to the country’s capital for his father’s job. Before, he says, they lived in the desert. The family owned goats and camels, and “because of that, you had to move from place to place. Your house has to be able to pick itself up.”
When Acheick arrived in Bloomington, his roommate had the apartment completely furnished. All Acheick had to do was bring one suitcase full of “practical clothes” – shirts and pants, he says, because it’s too cold here for shorts.
In Mali, it’s traditional for extended families to live together. Acheick says 10 to 12 people live in his home – parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins – creating close relationships and a community of home that he misses here.
“If you have a friend,” he says, describing Mali, “they’re like your brother. Here it’s pretty different.”
