ASU embraces exchange student in her pursuit of higher education

Fudan University graduate travels halfway around the world to pursue a master's degree in accounting

April Klaassan - Features Beat

Cheryl deals with the same college issues as any average student, except she traveled half-way around the world and sacrificed the only life she knows to face these issues and to reach her most sought after goal.

Zang Lu Jia, or Cheryl, attends Appalachian State University for a master's degree in accounting from an American university. Cheryl was first impressed with America when she visited Seattle with her high school orchestra.

"I found America is a very comfortable, nice place to study," she said. After graduating from Fudan University in Shanghai this past summer, Cheryl traveled to fulfill her dream.

"When I was in China facing graduation, everyone tried hard to apply for jobs. I did not try very hard because I wanted to come to America. It was a goal. I feel I should persist," she said.

Reaching her goal was a challenging task, for which Cheryl toiled hard. "It is not easy to get here," she said. "When I applied for a visa the first time, I was refused. The head of the business department called the Chinese consul. The second time, I got a visa." However, receiving a visa was not the only challenge Cheryl faced. Every student who wishes to study abroad must pass the difficult Graduate Record Exam (GRE).

Cheryl attended classes with hundreds of other Chinese students in Beijing during her winter break in order to make a high score on the GRE. Amidst the stressful tension of the GRE, Cheryl found comfort. She developed a close friendship with a man, whom she is now dating.

Money, another possible deterrent to Cheryl's goal, ultimately led her to Appalachian State. "You don't know which universities will give financial aid. I applied to several universities but they do not offer as much [financial aid] as ASU. Almost everything is covered by financial aid at ASU," she said.

Cheryl chose the university not only for the financial aid but also for the university's beautiful scenery and friendly atmosphere. She had her first Appalachian State experience earlier this year when she was one of 12 Chinese business students accepted into the Hollenfellow exchange program between Fudan and Appalachian.

Cheryl visited the campus for one week in March and April. She was captivated by her surroundings and felt welcomed by both faculty and students. "I thought Boone was a very beautiful town to study in, so I applied," She said. "I showed interest and the professors welcomed me. The two times I came here [to America] for exchange programs, the people treated us very well. The people in Boone are very nice. People say that if you go anywhere else [in America] they will not be so nice, especially in metropolis. People here--you can feel they care about you and care about how you are living."

Cheryl giggles as she talks about her first impression of the university. "I thought in March and April it was still winter. There were so few people. It is quite different from Shanghai. Shanghai is a metropolis--there are a lot of people." Cheryl arrived on campus Aug. 1 for a much longer stay. Once again, she received a warm welcome from the faculty. She feels indebted to Dr. Unal Boya and his wife Ron for the kindness they showed to her. "They treat international students as their sons and daughters. They are very kind," she said.

Mrs. Boya even helped Cheryl furnish her new apartment. "Since I came here, she brought second-hand stuff. She is concerned with my life here. She said international students for the first weeks feel uncomfortable. She said if I feel uncomfortable, I can call her anytime. She said look to her as my parents," she said.

Indeed, Cheryl and her roommate both found the first few weeks lonely, but they discovered ways to bide their time and soon found comfort in friendships. "After supper we walked around ASU. Sometimes I felt very lonely. After school started, friends came and I did not feel very bad." Cheryl also struggles with food unfamiliar to her.

"We cook our own food. My mother gave me a recipe book to cook Sichuan food, but once in a while we go to American restaurants, but we actually do not think it is delicious," she said.

Despite these differences, Cheryl must go through the normal routines of life as an student. She adapted to class easily. "Class is not so difficult. The professors' pace is very slow, and they try to be understanding," she said. After a month and a half of living halfway around the world from her home, Cheryl finds herself facing the challenge of homesickness. "I don't call back home so often. If I call, it takes at least 30 minutes. I call just once a week because it takes so long," she said.

"Sometimes I feel homesick, but I can overcome it. When I feel nostalgia about China, I think about how hard it was to come here."

Cheryl's hardest challenge is the absence of her boyfriend. "Sometimes I feel lonely because I have a boyfriend in China. I can talk with him freely about everything. When I am here, I cannot contact him so often. I think it is an issue, a problem."

They are able to keep in touch rarely by phone and Internet. "When I am online it is during my study time, so I don't have much time to talk to him," Cheryl said. "It is very hard. When I need him, he is not here. It is the hardest time."

Despite the disheartening emotions of being separated from a loved one, Cheryl's hard toil reaped satisfying results. Cheryl enjoys the time she spends with her American friends, playing ping-pong, going to parties and talking. Fulfilling her goal also comforts her. "I talked to some of my Chinese friends here and they ask themselves, ÔWhy am I here?' I do not ask this question because I feel this is my goal. I feel I can do something well in the future in America. Maybe after graduation, I will move to a big city to apply for a job related to Chinese-American relations," she said.

Cheryl also appreciates the cultural differences that teach her lessons about life. "When I walk through the university, people are very kind and smile. In China, you don't come across such things," she said. "There is one thing different from the Chinese population. Everyone in China tries to climb to a high career--everyone competes. It is very hard to enter a high university. Many people have mental problems preparing, but in America I feel an atmosphere of helping each other," Cheryl said. "When I have trouble with school, everyone tries to help me out. When you are good at something, they are not jealous. It is a very different way of thinking."

Hospitality House offers hope, comfort to those in need

Malcolm Smith - Features Beat

The Hospitality House of the Boone Area, Inc. is an inconspicuous, white house along West King Street. The facility has been in operation since 1985. The home has provided short-term housing, food and referral services to more than 2,800 adults on an emergency basis up to 30 days.

There are familiar circumstances that lead some to be homeless. Several are recovering addicts, some are victims of abuse and a few packed their belongings and hit the road.

But, stereotyping and innuendos aside, many of the guests, called the "Insiders," are still someone's child or parent.

"Jackie" can best be described as an angel donning a studded leather jacket. She projects a ridged exterior, but a short conversation with the mother of two reveals a poet and gifted craftswomen.

Twice married, both to abusive spouses, Jackie's road to homelessness makes her more of a survivor than drama queens Destiny's Child will ever claim to be.

But, Jackie's toughness can be expected. She admits a rugged upbringing and recalls "having to stand up to" much larger men throughout her life.

A repeated victim of domestic violence, Jackie attributes some of her problems to "getting involved with the wrong men."

Tearful at times, Jackie recounts how she first started drinking alcohol to deal with the unfortunate circumstances she was in.

Jackie's alcohol abuse soon turned to harder drugs. She would eventually spend the rent money and car payments and pawn her children's TVs and VCRs for her drug habit.

A near fatal car accident severely injured her spine and reduced her chances of maintaining a job. Jackie now walks with a limp. She has spent 13 months in county jail, which further complicated her injuries, and her sons are currently in foster care.

The Hospitality House is offering the physical and emotional support for Jackie to get on with her life. She attends a support session every night, which teaches her to deal with her sometimes "volatile" emotions and is receiving therapy to help her heal from her accident. She remains optimistic and notes the return of her children gives her the strength to stay motivated.

"[I] wouldn't change anything," she said. "Everything I've been through [has been to benefit] myself and my children."

At a glance, Mike appears to be your average teacher. In fact, Mike received a bachelor of arts at Ball State University and completed graduate studies at Pacific Oaks College.

Along with being a gifted musician and a grade school principal, Mike's greatest pride was being a devoted husband and father.

"My family was everything to me," he recalls. "They, for me, were my support system."

Mike's world tragically came to a halt when he witnessed his wife and 14-year-old daughter moments after a fatal car accident. He tearfully remembers his daughter and says, "There was so much for [her] to do."

Traumatized by the accident, Mike spent the next three and a half years in "shock." Despondent, Mike could think of nothing else to do, so he gathered his remaining savings and belongings and "just took off."

After having the last of his savings stolen, he remembers at that point "not knowing what to do." The former elementary school principal learned to survive by living on basic "animal levels."

"Food is always there," he said of surviving homelessness. "[The challenge] is finding and keeping water."

The toll of homelessness has taken most of Mike's sight. He spent two and a half years on the road legally blind.

As a transient of the home for the last two years, Mike remains spirited. Although he suffers from extreme anxiety and depression, he frequently works as a landscaper and carpenter. Mike is receiving the medical and mental support the home offers. He said, "Life goes on in your heart, not what you see."

Homelessness is hard enough alone. But for most homeless women they must endure, not only for themselves but for their children as well.

"Debbie's" three-year-old son is your typical youngster. Talkative and hyper, the child has no idea of his current state.

Debbie's husband is currently serving a jail sentence for a parole violation. Without means of providing for child-care, Debbie must keep her son with her at all times.

The most challenging issue for Debbie is who to trust around her son. With so many guests traveling in and out of the home, Debbie is learning to adjust to the group environment.

"The hardest part is knowing who to trust and [with who] to trust around [my son]."

A native of Florida, Debbie began traveling around the country with her boyfriend. Attributing her husband's incarceration to drugs, she visits her husband twice a week and says despite the circumstances, "My husband is a good father who loves his son," she said. The father and son correspond by letters and drawings on a daily basis.

Jim Thompson has been one of the executive directors of the Hospitality House for the last 12 years. During his time, Thompson, with the help of countless volunteers, has developed a system of counseling that helps the guest renew their sense of self worth.

"All a homeless person wants is validation, accepting people just the way they are," Thompson said of what society can do about homelessness.

The home not only offers a warm place to sleep or a warm meal, it refers people to the proper agencies that can land them back on their feet.

"We sit down and set goals for out guest," Jim said. "Be it helping them receive child care, medical support or assisting them in getting work ... the Hospitality House provides a stable environment and then the guests form a positive support system within themselves."

Upstairs inside their dormitory style room Kid Rock's "Only God Knows Why" plays on a CD player. As the song plays on, Jackie quietly sings the final lyrics of the song, ... "I've been giving just ain't been getting'/I've been walking down the line/So I think I'll keep on walking/ With my head held high ..."