Of all the cities Ricardo Rochman has visited in the US, he thinks New Orleans is his favorite.
“It’s a very different city compared to the bigger cities in the United States,” he said. “The people here are friendlier and have a different sense of humor.”
Rochman, who is from Mexico’s Universidad Iberoamericana, is studying abroad in the US through a cooperative program with Loyola University.
“I came here to get the most of my college experience as a student,” he said. “My major is international business so being abroad is something that will help me.”
Rochman has been to several US cities like New York and San Francisco, however, he said none of those compare to New Orleans. “It has a special glamour. It doesn’t have big freeways and big malls,” Rochman said. “It’s very relaxed.”
When Rochman started this semester at Loyola, he noticed the life of a student in the United States is very different from that of a student in Mexico.
“In Mexico, you go to the university, you go to class and then you go to work,” he said. “It’s very common for us to work and we start in the first or second semester.” Loyola and the Universidad Iberoamericana share the Jesuit tradition, but that’s where the similarities stop.
“Compared to my school, this is a very small university. My school has 15,000 students,” he said. “My school has more students, but we don’t have a sports complex or dorms.” He said the campus is also more convenient and easier to concentrate in this environment because you have everything on campus.
“In Mexico, you need to drive to the university, people live like about an hour from the university,” Rochman said. Rochman has many things to keep himself busy when he’s not taking classes. He is a big sports fan and knows how to have a good time at night.
“I love to run all around New Orleans and going to the sports complex, and then go to bars at night,” he said. “I’ve been to the Republic a couple of times and liked it.” Like anyone who is away from home, Rochman misses certain things; however, he tries not to think about them.
“Probably the food, but nothing else,” he said. “I’m trying, as hard as I can, to live this experience to the fullest, and I want to get the most of it. So I don’t want to think about something I miss.”
Another big difference for Rochman is the amount of English he has to interpret in his classes. Even though Rochman understands English, he thinks the different language is what makes this experience difficult. He said that it is sometimes hard to take notes in class and understand what is being talked about because he is not familiar with all of the words that are used. He has found a way to make it work.
“I use the dictionary a lot and my friends from the US help me study for my exams and with my papers,” he said. “The teachers are very friendly and helpful with international students too.”
As a part of the “Inbus” program, Rochman was assigned two buddies to help him transition into his life in New Orleans. His buddies are Catherine Schembre, classical studies sophomore and Kathryn Wood, music therapy senior.
“You’re mainly there to be a guide of sorts as they come here and try to find their way,” said Wood. “Not only new to a new school, and new city, but a new country altogether, with a different culture and customs.”
Wood joined the program because she thought it provided a unique opportunity to learn about different countries and cultures, and because she already did most of the things the program is about.
To become involved, Wood e-mailed Tori Buckley, a student who helps run the InBus program, who then matched her with Rochman.
“This is so random, but I hung out with a lot of foreign exchange students last year,” she said. “Then I realized I should just be in the international buddy program. I find it really interesting to learn about a completely different culture.”
Eduardo Gonzalez can be reached at [email protected]
