10A
KULTURE
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2007
Adjusting to life in America
Foreign exchange students use food,culture to adapt
BY ALISON CUMBOW
A typical jaunt from the Kansas Union to Anschutz Library means dodging buses, veering in and out of students and wondering if the weather will drastically change at any given second.
One great thing about zig-zagging through campus, however is the guarantee that the ears will hear an abundance of foreign languages, often spoken by exchange students.
International students come from more than 400 different countries to study at the University of Kansas.
Having left their families, friends and customs behind, exchange students arrive in Lawrence knowing they will need to adapt significantly to their new
surroundings.
Keeping their traditions alive in Kansas takes a little bit of extra work. Some substitute a beloved food item with one
"I like to help teach my friends a few words in Portuguese."
Yuki Takahashi, Tokyo sophomore, said she missed the cherry blossom trees.
not pasteurized."
"I think about the cherry blossom trees when spring comes," she said. "I like the idea that the Japanese culture loves to see and enjoy cherry blossoms every year."
Many international students use their hometown news source-
from Hy-Vee or celebrate a holiday that doesn't exist in the U.S. with new friends.
To bring her culture from her home country to others, Takahashi participates in many Japanese traditions here in Lawrence. One of those traditions was Sunday's Japan festival, in which Takahashi joined some of her peers for a rakugo performance. A traditional rakugo performance is similar to an American stand-up comedy show.
Pauline Jeannin, Besançon, France, graduate student, has adapted to her new environment easily since arriving at the University last August. She said she missed the food from her native country the most.
"Where I come from, it's very cold in winter, so we eat a lot of cheese and potatoes," she said.
Finding good French cheeses is a hard task, Jeannin said. She asks her family to send her care packages when The Laughing Cow brand cheese doesn't suffice.
DANIEL CUNHA
Porot, Portugal, doctoral student
"French people are crazy about cheese," Jeannin said. "My dad eats comte after both lunch and dinner. Comté is cheese made from raw cow milk, which is illegal in the U.S. because the milk is
es to keep up with what's going on while they're away from home.
native country by reading and watching the BBC.
Portia
Owusu
London
jonior, keeps
up to date
with her
Daniel Cunha, Porot, Portugal, doctoral student, said there weren't many people speaking his native language.
Cunha also enjoys finding places that serve his favorite traditional codfish dish, known as bacalau. He said he also enjoyed showing people how to make traditional Portuguese meals.
"I like to help teach my friends a few words in Portuguese," he said.
For international students, keeping their cultures alive in a place so distant from their 'norm' has become routine. They not only find ways to improvise a meal foreign to Kansas, but they also find ways to make themselves feel at home.
Edited by Ryan Schneider
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
Top: Friends practice for a "Rakugo" performance for Sunday's Japan festival. Rakugo is a Japanese form of entertainment that features comical monologues
Left: Fois gras and French bread can be found at businesses in downtown Lawrence.
Right: Comté, a French cheese, comes from an eastern region of France. It's made from raw cow milk, which is illegal in the United States.
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