Mesa Legend - News - Unfamiliar territory, foreign students share experiences

Unfamiliar territory, foreign students share experiences

Monique Tate
Mesa Legend

Imagine going to college out of state, being in a completely new environment, and away from family and friends.
This could be an extremely frightening situation that some people would never even want to consider stepping into. Many college students go to a variety of colleges across the United States, not from different states, but from different countries, and they come by themselves.
“My experience in the United States has been alright so far. It’s different, but I wouldn’t say its better. There are things I can do in the U.S. that I can’t do in the Bahamas and vice versa. Overall, the US has stricter laws,” said MCC student Castillo Bain, who came from the Bahamas.
“I came to the United States for school and I felt like I would have more opportunities,” said Bain. Unfortunately, he has faced some difficulties while living in Arizona.
“I’ve experienced a lot of racism since I’ve lived in Arizona. I lived in New York before I came to Arizona and the racism wasn’t bad out there because there are a variety of cultures,” added Bain.
Another MCC student, Curtis Durocher from Canada, has some interesting input on the United States versus his home.
“The crime rate is a lot higher in United States and the people aren’t as nice compared to where I came from. It seems like people in the United States are on a set, strict schedule and the town that I come from is more laid back. There is a lot more ethnic diversity. I’ve noticed many different races, backgrounds, and religions. The town that I come from had nothing but Caucasian Christians so coming to the United States was definitely a culture shock. The majority of people I hang out with now are black and Mexican,” said Durocher.
He has also encountered some difficulties while living in the United States. “As soon as I came here, I was a very trusting person. But after coming across some sneaky people, I’ve learned not to be so trusting. I had to learn how to pay rent, utilities, buy food, manage money, set appointments; I just had more responsibilities in general because I don’t live with my parents anymore.”
Durocher credits MCC’s athletics for his reason to coming to MCC.
“MCC had a really good track and field program and that really attracted me. If I didn’t go to MCC I probably wouldn’t be doing track at all. I would just be working. I also wanted to get my education and have it paid for which would lead to a Division I university,” Durocher said.