Five Myths International Students Believe

As someone who's been an international student, I have to say there are perks to studying abroad, not only do you get to increase your academic knowledge, you also get to interact with a wide range of other people and cultures and hence learn more about the world. You become... what's the word? Aha, 'enlightened'!

On the flip side, there are things that are non-perks. Subsequently, there is the characteristic disappointment once some people find out that many of the things they expected to experience are elusive. The problem here might be those unrealistic expectations aka myths fuelled by glossy advertorial  brochures, some word of mouth lies, or just plain wishful thinking.

These are five of those myths that international students:

1. You will instantly make friends and blend in: Not! Contrary to what you see in all those glossy brochures and leaflets, that is not true. In short, you will suffer some degree of culture shock, whether you are Mr. or Ms. Friend-maker or not. There will be times when you will feel alone, misunderstood, and just plain stand out like a red snake in green grass.

2. You are guaranteed a job by your university during and after your study: Yeah right! Some universities DO tell you this to attract you to their schools. As much as universities' career units help you to try and get a job, the majority of the work depends on you (and maybe the economy *wink*). Do not expect automatic jobs and don't be surprised if you don't get a graduate job after graduating.

3. The pictures aren't always real: This is when you call me Captain Obvious. I mean, the very nature of advertisement, most times, is to present something far duller in reality in a more pleasant and 'shinier' light. However, just for the sake of those who still believe that the pictures depict exactly what is obtainable in reality, prepare to be disappointed.

4. You won't need to study that hard: Hahahahahahahahhahah. Pardon my laughter. It does go without saying that you are a student because you are studying, but I know many people including yours truly who thought it would be easy-breezy. My advice - prepare to study HARD!

5. Your dreams will come true: To this I have to say, hmmm *turning my hand left and right*. This is not entirely a myth, but don't expect this to just happen by virtue of your studying abroad. There ain't no genie waiting at your hall of residence with three wishes at the ready for you.

Okay, so I'm not trying to be Liz the Downer here, but I guess I'm just trying to make your expectations more realistic, and, of course save you from disappointments. So, welcome international students!!

Brown, black, white, yellow, red, purple, blue, and orange!

Red, purple and blue people? Those ones made me laugh. I have never seen a naturally purple, red, orange, or blue person in my life. Of course, people look orange when they're over-tanned, or some people turn 'blue' in the face when they are sick, but that's where it ends. No one is actually born these colours in real life, not unless Avatar is real-life. But these are all colours that are ascribed to whole races and peoples. It does not help that these colours, and the people that are said to wear them, are associated with certain qualities, good or bad, real or imagined.

It might not change anything now to talk about trying to dismiss these unrealistic colours or making them more true-to-skin, but it would be really great if people would stop and think about the colour labels pasted on them and others.

Recently, I took to wearing white and black to make a statement. It was either I was beginning to seem like an ordinary white-and-black fashion lover or the message was clearly not hitting home, because no one stopped to ask me why I was almost always dressed in black and white, or complete black, from shoulder to feet. Even my friends and acquaintances did not seem to find it odd. Maybe, I should have attached a board that read, “If I wear/were black, you shouldn't be able to see my face'. If a 'white' person is actually white, then, he should be as white as the colour white. Where does truthfulness, honesty, and correctness, whether political or otherwise feature in this colour coding?

On more than one occasion, I have had to describe myself as black, basically because that's what society tags me as; many forms ask if you're black, white, etcetera. If only the colours actually matched the skins.

I have had to compare my skin colour with the real 'black' colour I ought to be. It turns out I'm definitely browner than I am black. There are in fact people who are actually black skinned, but not all 'black' people are black-skinned. It is also ironic that in Africa, you would have some people calling other people black or chocolate or fair; when in the larger society, everyone is 'black'. The way I see it, it is better to just call people by their actual race-names- African, European, Asian, and etcetera; or even by their nationalities.

So, does that mean that I should call myself brown, simply because in actual fact I am more brown-skinned than black skinned? I honestly wish I could, but there's another race occupying that slot. Describing yourself as African or European, or even Chinese, Malian, Brazilian, Egyptian, and etcetera seems to be inadequate.

Society calls me black, so that's what I must be?