Chinese New Year: the importance of cultural inclusion on campus

Nicholls State University Student Programming Association offered free dumplings at a table in the Student Union yesterday to celebrate the beginning of the Chinese New Year.

Also known as the Spring Festival, the Chinese New Year marks the end of the winter season. This year will be the year of the Rooster, according to the Chinese zodiac sign, and since the Chinese calendar differs from ours, for them, 2017 will start on January 28.

But why is it so important to celebrate this festival more than seven thousand miles away from China?

The United States is a multicultural country, which includes Chinese immigrants among several other nationalities. The U.S. census shows that the biggest concentration of Chinese-American population in the country is located in the greater New York and West Coast areas.

Although Louisiana itself does not have a big population of Chinese immigrants, Nicholls international community welcomes students from China every year. Being that this is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays, celebrating the year of the rooster on campus is a token of the campus compromise with cultural inclusion.

For a foreign student, having a piece of home every now and then makes all the difference. As an international student myself, I can attest to the many struggles a foreigner can encounter while away from their home country.

When you move to another country, you will see yourself surrounded by someone else’s culture and customs. Everything seems to be so different: the language, the architecture and even the fashion styles. To worsen the adaptation process, you probably won’t know anybody there. All of your friends and family stayed behind in your country. It is so much to take in at the same time that you may feel overwhelmed.

The adaptation period can be tough. Most of the time, you will feel like you are all by yourself. Sooner or later homesickness will hit you, and trust me, it hits hard. But with time, patience and a little bit of engagement in your school community, being so far away from home doesn’t seem as bad.

The bright side is that the Nicholls Community is there to help. Our international department, students, faculty and staff at our school are very receptive. It won’t take long for you to feel like you belong here. So, take your time, find your own way and use your unique skills and perspectives to contribute to create a diverse campus environment.

And don’t forget, you can always count on your fellow international students for support. After all, we can relate. We’ve been through the same things once before.