Winter Break is a time for many students to go home, but because of financial and other setbacks, international students cannot always visit home and often remain in Ames.

Three ISU international students have had to deal with more than just classes.

Shinta Jauhari, senior in accounting, was able to go home to Indonesia for the first time in two years during Winter Break. Before that, Jauhari said her mother came to visit during the summer, but she had been unable return home herself.

“That’s probably why I could stay here two years without going back,” she said. “When I got back there, I felt like a kind of stranger. It’s different.”

It took a couple of days for her to get used to Indonesia after being gone so long, she said. She missed her friends and family as well as the lifestyle.

“One of the things you don’t get to do is enjoy all the things back there,” Jauhari said.

Her home is in Jakarta, which is the capital of Indonesia. She said Jakarta is the equivalent to Los Angeles.

“It’s where all the things happen,” she said.

Jauhari said Ames has limited entertainment options but because there is less entertainment for her, it helps her focus on her studies.

Another big adjustment was the Iowa weather.

She said coming from Indonesia to Iowa was like going from summer to fall in 24 hours. In Indonesia, there is a sunny season and rainy season.

Other than the weather, she said personal security is something she likes about the United States.

“I don’t feel afraid that something bad will happen to me,” Jauhari said. “Many people feel insecure living [in Indonesia].”

She said homesickness wasn’t a problem for her because she was prepared for the change.

“You just [have to] be ready to be prepared for all of the consequences,” she said.

Homesickness is something many college students face, but it is amplified for international students.

Ernestina Anie, senior in forestry from Ghana, has been unable to go home for two years.

“My first semester was not easy at all because I kept thinking about my husband, what he’s doing,” Anie said. “I am very close to my parents. I was also thinking about them and it is very difficult to deal with that.”

She said she looked for information to deal with her homesickness.

“What I did to keep me going is to seek a lot of information, to know how I can join a lot of clubs and meet a lot of women,” Anie said.

She looked to find people she could talk to about how to deal with homesickness, she said.

“[At the beginning] I called home everyday,” Anie said.

Calling is very expensive, so now she tries to stay in contact with her family about once a week.

She said she doesn’t see her family very often – they come to visit her about every six months. Her mom, husband and son are her usual visitors.

Anie said she also got involved in the International Roommates Club.

“Women from all over the world in Iowa State come together to talk about their needs, to talk about their country, to make other people know what it’s like in their country,” she said.

Anie misses many aspects about home, but she enjoys others in the United States.

“Law and order is very much respected in the U.S.,” she said. “[Back home], enforcement is the problem.”

She said Ghana has laws, but people will break them because they know they will get away with it.

Anie also appreciates the United States’ sense of time.

“I really like how time is used here,” she said. “People really respect time and make sure they’re on time.”

She said in Ghana, people will plan to meet at 10 a.m., but they won’t arrive until more than two hours later.

Another U.S. quality she likes is people’s caring attitude toward the poor.

Anie said the people here make sure everyone has food to eat and clothes to wear. In Ghana, people won’t help each other unless they are family.

“In Ghana the rich is very rich and the poor is very poor,” she said. “Most people are very nice here, but you can meet pretty bad people being here.”

She said she has had trouble with a professor that wanted her out for no apparent reason. When she goes into shops she is followed as if she would steal something.

Anie said students need to know about the ISU Web site so they can find where to go to when they have a problem, know what assistance they can get and what classes they have.

“They have to know that because that is the only way they can help themselves,” Anie said.

Setche Kwamu-nana, sophomore in chemical engineering from Cameroon, has been at Iowa State for five months and doesn’t know when she will get the chance to go home again.

She said her first day was exciting and sad at the same time.

“I just knew things were going to be different,” she said. “I was expecting the cultural shock. I almost cried because I was wondering what it would be like coming to a strange land. I’ve never been to this place and I didn’t know anybody. I didn’t know anything.”

She said after she arrived in Des Moines, people were very nice to her and made her feel comfortable.

Joyce Davidson, associate director for Student Counseling Services, said all students have some anxiety.

“Finding a community of support is really key,” Davidson said.