Leddy De Lieve Ansanay is an international student from Indonesia and a senior at Corban University.

A different perspective
By Leddy Ansanay

It is not easy being far away from home but I am still thankful. Thankful because all these people who God has put around me at Corban are the greatest people in the whole world.

I have been spending the last three years at Corban and now I am a senior. I love being in the United States. A lot of things are easy to find but I do miss the meals of my home so much. One thing that’s really hard for me to get used to is food! But I am glad I can survive.

I thank God for all the people He has put around me to support me. I love Corban, and I am glad that I have been here.

If I go back to Indonesia, I’ll tell my family what I have experienced. I [have] learned so much and it was hard, but I thank God I can survive. I’ll tell them how people in America are so helpful and handy. I’ll tell them about how good people here are.

America and Indonesia are so different, [mostly the] food but also culture. The way we interact [with] people is different. Although I never get the jokes that people tell but I still have so much fun here.

Not all people can experience what I have experienced so I am really thankful. I have a lot of difficulty in school and classes but all the professors are easy to find and they always help me.

Having English as your second language is a hard thing and to learn everything in English is [especially] hard. I have learned English since I was in junior high, about six years ago, but for actually speaking it, I learn[ed] six months before I came here (about three and half years ago).

I love English but I hate speaking it. Mistakes always happen to me and sometimes there are some words that I don’t understand. So for all people who are just learning English, my advice is: don’t ever [be] afraid [or] embarrassed to make a mistake.