Some international students have difficulties adjusting to a California lifestyle. For Kristy Loewe, an international student from Germany, it has been especially difficult.
Loewe, 25, has been studying art and film at Cal State Long Beach since September.
“I got sick of the German weather, so I came to California,” Loewe said.
But it has not always been a sunny paradise for Loewe. The televised luxury she saw on shows such as “The O.C.” and “Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County” was not reflected in her own Californian lifestyle.
“At home you have your own space, but you get used to having less. It didn’t bother me at all,” she said when describing how she slept on a sofa in a cramped house in Long Beach for six months.
Loewe said she feels that living with an American family helped her to settle into the culture, but is freer now that she has her own space.
She is originally from Hanover, Germany, and has been studying at Oldenburg University, where she will return in August. She wants to work in the film industry after graduating and hopes to get an internship while being so close to Hollywood.
For Loewe, whose mother is from England, speaking English all the time has not a problem. She only had to get used to small cultural differences.
“People here are friendly. It’s not artificial like I thought at first – but the guys seem more forward,” Loewe said.
As an exchange student in the U.S., Loewe has a J-1 visa. Applying for this type of visa is a very complex process and includes forms, fingerprints, interviews and security checks.
In a post-9/11 age where national security and immigration are controversial issues, Loewe said she just feels lucky to be in the United States. Not only has she had the opportunity to meet Americans, but she has also made friends with other international students.
“I can visit people all over the world now,” Loewe said.
Loewe does not have the time to get homesick. She does, however, “miss good beer and proper bread.”
Unlike at her German home, where the ocean is far away, here she has been able to take a surfing class. Loewe lives in Seal Beach and takes full advantage of its surf.
“I forget to do my homework because I feel like I’m on a holiday. I’m so near the beach,” she said. “In California, you can do so many sports.”
Before leaving the Golden State she plans to go snowboarding in the mountains here because it is cheaper than in Europe.
