International students face environmental change

Many international student need to come to the U.S. alone. It may be the first time they separate with their parents. They are teenagers and need to learn how to be independent. Most of the international students come here at the age around 16 to 20. They may become homesick when away from family for long periods of time. Apart from this, they may feel lonely, helpless and boring studying aboard because some of their friends may travel home for Thanksgiving holidays. They may need to leave to find a place to stay when the dorms close. In the summer, some of the international students want to save money and don’t’ go back to their home country. They may stay at home and have a sense of disconnect from school and family. They may need to cook for themselves, if they don’t know how to cook; they need to adapt the fast food in US. They need to learn how to do laundry and clean their room by themselves. They need to take care themselves and solve the problem themselves. They can't get help with their parents immediately. They need to learn how to drive because the distance from one place to another is long. To deal with the homesick problem, they can buy an international prepaid phone card to connect with their parents. They can also use the free internet chat, for example, Skype and MSN to have a video call with their parents and their old friends.