Integrating into different cultures has just been a normal lifestyle for international exchange student Many Pang. Originally from Cambodia, Pang moved to France in 2005 after her father got a new job. After having to start over after 12 years in Cambodia, she herself will tell anyone that that is why she has developed her friendly personality.
Her desire to meet new people, talk and to get to know others from different cultures
and backgrounds has led her to Longwood University. She arrived at Longwood a little over three weeks ago.
When asked why she chose Longwood University, she gave the simple answer, that she wanted a small university and to get to know more people. At home in France, Pang goes to the University of Nantes, which happens to be a university with 33,000 students
in attendance. Pang studies Business Administration here at Longwood University, and also pursues similar studies at home in France.
Pang said, “A friend who had studied here before, said it was a small school and the university was very good.”
Through other international students, her international mentor [Austin Wilson], and people from her classes, Pang says she has made friends at Longwood that
way. The international mentors have helped her out in many ways including, installing Wi-Fi, ordering books, understanding Canvas, getting her lancer card and helping her pay tuition.
Pang is taking four classes while enrolled at Longwood University, and a big difference between classes here and in France, is that school in France is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Here, her classes start at 11 a.m. and end at 3 p.m., which is something that she enjoys.
Other aspects of Longwood that she is enjoys are the beautiful brick buildings, that everyone knows everyone and how helpful and nice the professors are.
Pang comments, “Longwood has been really nice. We [other international students] are still waiting to find a [CHI] dropping. The dining hall is really good– better than home.”
While being in Farmville, she has learned a lot about American college culture. Also, she has participated in a lot of activities, like going to the gym, an outside movie and attending sporting events. Actually, until a recent Saturday, she had never seen a
football game in person, until attending her first live football game at Hampden-Sydney
College.
Pang said, “It was interesting because everyone was really into it and screaming and clapping, the people on the field look really into it and like they are fighting each
other.”
One thing that Pang specifically pointed out about American culture is how big our cars are, and how hard it is to walk to places. Being from Europe, she is used to walking and taking public transportation, and since there are not a lot of sidewalks here, it was a major transition to make. Due to this change, she wishes that the FAB could improve for future international students.
Pang said, “Everywhere you go, you see truck, SUV. You have really big cars, which is nice because I really like big cars and we don’t have that in France.”
But despite the many differences between Longwood University and back home, Pang has found one thing that reminds her of home – the bread from the bakery on Main Street. Pang said, “One day, a student mentor brought me the bread,which tasted similar to that of a bakery in France.”
Some unique aspects about her that she wants the student body to know, is that she is 21-years-old and does not look like it. Also, she wants people to know that she is
Cambodian, not Chinese because not a lot of people know where Cambodia is located.
To Pang, her culture, as well as other people’s cultures, mean a lot. Pang added, “The purpose is to discover a new culture, a new way of life, and meeting people and
talking to them about what they think about friends, Cambodia and learning what I will discover about them too."
