Most international students at Tufts return home for winter and summer breaks. Over spring break and other shorter vacations such as long weekends, however, many international students use their time off to travel throughout the States or discover other destinations in the world.
According to International Center data, the University's international community this year is composed of 344 undergraduate students, 277 graduate students, and about 238 special graduate (Practical Training or Exchange) students.
For these students, often separated from their families and homelands by thousands of miles, the most common way to spend winter break is to return home.
"Winter Break is a special break," freshman Rana Shabb said. "It is a family gathering; it is also the time to see my friends again and to come back to my land, Lebanon."
Junior Fleur du Pasquier was thrilled to return to France over the winter break. "At the beginning of the year, I had planned on staying in the States over break," du Pasquier said. "Since I am only here for one year, I wanted to take the most I could from this experience. But after one semester, I really felt I needed to go back home. And thanks to this pause, I am even more enjoying my second semester back here."
Though most international students describe themselves as integrated and happy on campus, they still consider their native countries "home." Freshman Irem Ayaz went back to Istanbul, Turkey over break and enjoyed a way of life that she had missed.
The social life in the US is also a difference confronted by international students. Over winter break, many underage international students rediscovered how easy it is to go to a club or a bar to have a drink with friends outside of the US.
Cultural differences reach far beyond lowered drinking ages, however: "I had forgotten the pleasure of sitting in a caf?© downtown, just to chat with friends or to go to a nice restaurant," freshman Eglantine Graf of France said.
Since Tufts' international students have already experienced moving from one place to another, many find readapting to life in their home country relatively easy. Attending a high school in the US facilitates this process: many international students say that doing so helped them to feel comfortable in America before arriving at Tufts.
Not all of Tufts' international students attended high school in the US, however. A large number attended international schools throughout the rest of the world. Freshman Pelin Ermis, for example, is Turkish, but she attended a French high school in Hong Kong and then moved with her parents to Singapore. She has gotten used to travelling and has little trouble adapting to new environments.
Similarly, Graf attended an International School in Switzerland; travelling back and forth from school to her home in France has gotten her used to making the trip.
Some international students were not able to return home over winter break. Freshman Livia Stefanini wanted to go back home to Italy, but her parents, who are diplomats, had to stay in Washington D.C. Stefanini and her parents spent Christmas in D.C. before vacationing in Jamaica and Cuba afterwards.
Senior Maarouf Al-Dawalibi, originally from Saudi Arabia, had to remain in Medford over winter break because of a visa problem. Visa extensions used to require five or six days to process; now, that same process takes three to five months. Maarouf did not want to risk not being able to return to the States if his demand was rejected or delayed.
"It is true that we have had new types of immigration problems to solve since Sept. 11, and more precisely since the first of Jan. 2003, as the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) imposed a new regulation," International Center Office Manager Lois Hutchings said. Hutchings added that previously unasked information is now "required for certain males from certain countries."
Junior Geoff Mansfield of Hong Kong stayed on campus Thanksgiving Break of his sophomore year. "The break was terrible," Mansfield said, adding that the campus is empty and virtually everything is closed.
According to Yolanda King, director of the Resident Life Office, the University supplies international students housing over the breaks. "International students who do not go home for Thanksgiving break can remain in the assigned residence hall room," King said. "If they do not go home over the winter break they are reassigned to live in winter interim housing, which currently is in Metcalf, Richardson, or Stratton."
Though dining halls are closed during the break, students are able to use any kitchen facilities available in their assigned hall. The University does not charge students for housing during breaks.
International students consider the optimal winter break to be a family vacation, but spring break is different. Few students return home; instead they take trips with friends. Graf, Peiretti-Paradisi, Shaab, and Haliun Ganbold from Mongolia just booked their plane tickets to go to Miami.
In the hopes of getting the most out of his experience abroad, German graduate student Philipp Krushel plans to spend spring break in Arizona. "I am leaving at the end of the year, and I wanted to discover another part of the States," Krushel said.
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