Grate Gubacsi is a junior legal studies major. Originally from Hungary, she’s had to deal with the transition of moving and studying in a different country. She knows how hard it can be to encounter a new environment and hopes that her story will make other international students more comfortable.
Senior year in high school is a really exciting and eventful time for every teenager who experiences it. Life-changing decisions are made during this time to celebrate successful endings and new beginnings.
My experience was quite different, however. Instead of figuring out what I would be wearing to prom or what clubs I would be joining once I started college, I was busy worrying about what continent I would be living on in a few months.
My family was given an amazing opportunity to move to the U.S. from Hungary, but the final decision was a rather difficult one. Only someone who has actually experienced something similar understands the real difficulty of adapting to a whole new environment and culture.
I will never forget the day I arrived at Miami International Airport with my family almost three years ago. My mom, my two siblings and I all stood by the arrival gate with nothing but high hopes and two suitcases each. As other international students probably know, entering the country for the first time with a student visa is regulated, so it is forbidden to arrive more than a month before the first day of school. In other words, we had no other option but to build a new life from scratch in roughly thirty days. Nothing is impossible, but given the fact that we knew nobody here who could help us, and our time to get everything settled was limited, this wasn’t an easy task.
A house, a car and a school are all basic elements to starting a life in a completely different environment, but the factors one doesn’t initially take into consideration when moving to a whole new country are the “little things.” By little things, I mean the cultural differences, the new customs or even such trivial elements as the weather. To prove this, I usually tell people the story of my first day in the community college where I received my associate’s degree.
It was during hurricane season. I left home without an umbrella and I decided to take the bus. At the time, I found these decisions completely reasonable because I had used public transportation all my life, and in Hungary rain never came as a surprise, nor was it big deal. About 45 minutes later, I was still waiting on the first of the three buses I planned to take to school that morning. In the meantime, I entertained myself with constantly attempting to collect the belongings I brought.
Thanks to the forceful winds and the surprise downpours, my belongings were laying scattered in random puddles across the pavement. After repeating this routine two more times, waiting on the next two buses, I arrived 30 minutes late to my first college class. I was awkwardly standing in front of a huge class, looking at my soaked self while the professor told me that there had been a room change and I should have seen it noted on the door.
Everyone in Florida is aware of the unreliable public transportation system or the rather unpredictable weather, but I didn’t even think about these potential “obstacles” when I left the house that morning.
Now I laugh at these silly mistakes, but upon coming to the states, I had no idea that it would be the smallest things and happenings that I would have had to get accustomed to the fastest.
My home, Hungary, is located in the Middle Eastern part of Europe, in the Carpathian Basin. We are a rather small country with only 10 million citizens, but despite the fact that almost every surrounding nation has tried to wipe us out in the course of history, we are still independent with unique characteristics.
Our architecture and wine is world famous. We speak one of the most unique and difficult languages in the world, as our grammar is extremely complex and our words are generally hard to pronounce for foreigners, given that our alphabet consists of forty four letters. We are also the inventors of such essential tools as the ballpoint pen.
However, as proud as I am of my roots, never for a second have I regretted moving to the States. I have had opportunities present themselves to me here that have changed my life — one of these which was definitely my acceptance to NSU.
As opposed to the community college I first attended, I immediately felt welcome at NSU and was amazed by the countless ways I would be able to get involved on campus, despite the fact that I was an international student. I found my place here faster than I ever thought I would.
For someone who came from such a different culture, and not just from another state, it isn’t only the weather that takes some getting used to. Whether it was the language barrier, the different units of measurement, or simple greeting customs, it was all new for me, but here at NSU, I finally felt really comfortable with my situation and who I was.
I think one of the biggest advantages of attending this university is that there is something for everyone here. Not for one second have I felt excluded or unsure about anything. There has always been someone here available to give me a hand with whatever I needed help with.
Even though I didn’t have a smooth transition when I first moved here, I really am glad that I didn’t let this amazing opportunity pass by. These past couple of years have taught me how to really believe in myself, and in what I am doing, even at times when things get complicated or I feel like giving up.
Life really is about pushing your own limits and taking chances, but only when facing difficult situations do you understand the real meaning of this cliché statement.
I can say with confidence that I consider myself fortunate to be here at NSU and to have the college experience I always dreamed of.
