In this episode, Emma and Cadie are joined by Sam Subedi to discuss the visa process, culture shock, and the international student community at Mason. Plus, a look into OIPS's upcoming International Week!
EMMA: Hello, welcome to CHSS Connection, a podcast where we interview different students about all things CHSS, from academics to careers to everything in between. This is a student success podcast for CHSS students by CHSS students. However, if you're not a CHSS student, welcome. We're so glad you're here. I'm Emma Howard. CADIE: I'm Cadie Junker. BOTH: And we're your hosts. CADIE: In this episode, we're discussing the facets of an international student experience. And of course, we could not do this alone, especially considering we're not international students. So today we are joined by psychology student Sam Subedi. Sam, thank you so much for joining us today. SAM: Of course. Hi. Should I introduce myself? CADIE: Yeah! EMMA: Sure! CADIE: If you would like to, feel free. Anything that we might have missed in the opening, because I know it's like very brief. Yeah, please tell us a little bit about yourself. SAM: Okay. Hi, everyone. I am Sam. My full name is Samriddhi, but I just go by Sam. And I'm a psychology major at George Mason University. I am a junior. I am concentrating in cognitive and behavioral neuroscience within the psychology department. And yeah, like I'm an international student. I am from Nepal. CADIE: That's great! Thank you so much. EMMA: Well, we're just happy to have you here to shed light on this topic. CADIE: Yeah, I think that Mason has such a vibrant international student community. And I am so happy that we get to talk about it with you today. So our very first question for you, you're from Nepal. And from that perspective, what is the process to apply and attend George Mason? SAM: Okay, it was a long process. I feel like every international student, we just like see them at the United States, but we don't really consider about like what they had to do to get to this point. It is a long-winded process. It takes about like six months. So I applied to like universities across the United States, mostly in Virginia. But I started applying like right after high school. And I was still studying back home, like I was still attending a college back home. And I couldn't like complete my education. I just did not want to take like a gap year to do the process. I like was still studying. But yeah, it was like six months long. So basically, what I did was I started like looking at universities in the United States. I started like preparing for like my SATs, my like my TOEFL, which is the test of English proficiency as a foreign language. It's kind of like a foreign language requirement test that you have to take. So I did that. I took my SATs. I had to prep for that all by myself. I wasn't really thinking about really attending to like a university in the United States. It just so happened that like I was like, oh, I think it'd be a good thing to I just thought that it'd be a good thing to do for my like what I wanted to do with my life with psychology. So yeah, like I started like doing all these things. And then I applied to George Mason, and I got in. And the visa process, it was super long. You had to get like an appointment with the US Embassy in Kathmandu. And from there, like there was like an interview process and the whole shebang. And yeah, like six to like seven, eight months long, and I'm here. Yeah. CADIE: And we're so glad that you are! Yeah, the visa process…. So I just studied abroad like I wasn't even like an international student, but the visa process is so confusing and grueling and expensive. It is so expensive. I can't believe how much money I paid for a sticker in my passport. SAM: Yeah, that it was I'm so glad that I'm like done with that because that was a long, grueling, relentless process. EMMA: It sounds like it was, but it also sounds like it was really worth it. So you just shared a little bit about the perspective of as an international student coming to attend Mason. Can you talk about what drew you to study psychology here? SAM: Yeah! So I've always known that I wanted to like I'd always known like ever since I was a child that I wanted to like pursue psychology, at least like the human behavior, cognition side of things. I've always been interested in learning more about like how people behave, why people behave the way they do, and like feelings, thoughts, just anything about the brain and the body had always been interested in that kind of stuff. And also this might be a little personal, but like also like personal struggles with like having difficulty in understanding myself. I did not grow up in a really like a conventional family dynamic, like I'm an only child, and I grew up, I guess, experiencing parental separation when I was really young. And I guess that really drove me to study psychology to better understand myself and also other people around me. And that is why I wanted to pursue psychology as a major. As for like why I picked George Mason in particular was because, again, proximity wise, it's closer to DC, so job prospects and also my relatives, they also like live nearby and I thought that like having them around, like having them closer to me would, I guess, be better because I'm from like a different country and I need to have that social support around me. So here I am. And also George Mason gave me good scholarships. CADIE: Yes, we love scholarships here. Our next question for you is how did your expectations of college life in the US compare to the reality once you got here? SAM: I grew up watching a lot of movies, like a lot of like Western movies. I'm a huge, I don't really like to use the word cinephile, but I consider myself like a movie, I mean, film enthusiast to some extent. And I think you see like, you know, college life is really like the way it's presented. It looks really fanciful, from like from an outsider's perspective. So I really did have like this, oh, you know, like I'd have like I'd get into college and I'd like have this really big friend group and I'd be like, you know, hanging out with all the popular cliques and whatnot. That was kind of like the expectation coming to college. But George Mason is huge. There are like a lot of people from different sects of life, different like places are all around the country. And so it is a huge university. I guess I did not end up having that like the kind of college life that was portrayed in movies. But I think like I'm still kind of trying to adjust to the actual the way it is ,college life here. But yeah, I don't know if that really answered the question or not, but it wasn't as how I pictured it would have been like, but it's still it's still okay. It's still the it's still the way it is, I guess. CADIE: Yeah. No, I think that makes perfect sense to me. EMMA: When you were describing your image of what you thought college life was going to be in the US, it was very similar to how I thought college life. It's incredible how America propaganda, like its reach is just really incredible, and how disappointing it is once we hit reality because they don't talk about student loans in those movies. CADIE: What do you mean that there's not an acapella group on campus that goes to all these like wild concerts? Yeah. EMMA: Oh my gosh. Continuing with this line of questioning, what was one culture shock you experienced when arriving in the US? SAM: This might be like this might be something new that you guys have heard, but I come I came from like a valley. So, like where I'm from, it's like a small valley. So, like you're surrounded by hills. Like where I live, I'd wake up in the morning, and I'd see like my sky like surrounded by hills. But once I came to the US, the sky just like it seemed so much wider because there were no hills. In Virginia, especially like I've been to other places where I've seen hills around me, but like in Virginia, I don't see any hills, probably because like we're in the Fairfax area and it's a city. It's the main city. So yeah, like I guess the sky just seemed like wide and like so like open and it was it seemed so huge. So that was one like shock, not a cultural shock, but still kind of like a thing that I found kind of shocking when I first came in. And I think the other shock factor was kind of like people were really nice. Like they were extremely polite people, like when I would be walking to my class, I just like have a random stranger smile at me, which was something that I was not used to. And I like that I love that a lot. Like just knowing that, oh, like I'm like somebody noticed me, and like that they smiled at me. It's just a warm feeling to have. So yeah, that was kind of like a culture shock that I had. EMMA: Yeah. Well, sorry, that smiling comment, it makes me think of how in Europe, that's how everyone can tell who like who, an American tourist is, because we don't stop smiling. Even at strangers, people we don't know. But I'm glad to see that here for you, that was a very welcoming factor. CADIE: Kind of on that note, and we will ask the inverse of this question. But to start, what's one thing you prefer about the U.S. than to back home in Nepal? SAM: I love food. I love food of different cultures. And I feel like here in Fairfax, especially, you can go to like a single, I don't know what it's called, like a complex kind of place, right? CADIE: Yeah! SAM: You can still find food from like different places all within that same complex, which is something that I'd never like. This is not a thing in Nepal, you know, you can like go to like a mall and like you'd be able to eat like Turkish food. You'd also be able to eat like Chinese food at the same place, like food from different cultures around the world. And I think I like I love that about the United States. That's like so cool. Especially somebody who's like really into learning about like food cultures around the world. I think that's such such a great thing. And I wish like they had that in Nepal. CADIE: Yeah. EMMA: The concept of the American food court is incredible. CADIE: No, but tell me why I missed the American food court and the American dining experience when I was over in Spain, like Spain's dining experience is also really nice, like very slow pace. We're very fast-paced here. But man, I missed good Asian food. EMMA: Proceeding with the inverse of that question, what's one thing you prefer back home than in the US? SAM: Definitely like just familiarity, like I'd be able to talk to people and I know that like I'm not like an outlier there. Like I don't really feel like an outlier here. But when I like walk into a room and like when I introduce myself, I guess like people will kind of like know that I'm different, that I'm that I'm a foreigner. But you don't really have that in Nepal because like it's a homogenous society and like everybody looks the same. Everybody speaks the same language. I think I just missed the familiarity that I experienced back home. And I really I really took that for granted. Just like being able to like a talk. I mean, I guess joke about the joke about like very niche things and still have the other person understand it. Those kind of stuff like is what I really miss about Nepal. EMMA: Understandably, have you been able to find community with other international students, or have you met other international students who are also from Nepal? SAM: It's a funny thing. I have been friends with like this one person for like since the third grade and we both came to the like to United States together. EMMA: Oh wow! CADIE: I love that. SAM: So yeah, my best friend is actually here with me in the United States. And that's really cool. Outside of her, I'm not from Nepal, like not really. I haven't really met a lot of international students from Nepal, but I've had other friends. I mean, I do have other friends who are also from like different countries that are also like international students. But for Nepalese person, though, it's just my best friend. CADIE: To kind of go off of that. How have your professors, mentors or classmates shaped your experience here at Mason? SAM: I am really fascinated by the idea of like being able to do my own- I would love to do my own research. I think later in my life, like that is kind of like the profession that I'm like headed to or like the career path that I'm headed to. Like I want to be in academic research. I want to be in academia. And that is why I have tried to get myself in positions that allow me to, I guess, get research experience. So I've been, I am a learning assistant, and I work with like a like the greatest psychology professor at Mason. I think Dr. Alison Melley, she is she has been in the like at George Mason for a long time, and she's like literally the sweetest professor ever. And I've been working with her since like the spring of 2024. And I think just like being able to talk with her about psychology and just like about my research interests, it has been an incredible experience. Like she's such a great professor. She's such a great mentor outside of like that, outside of like Dr. Melley. I've also like been able to foster like a lot of relationship with other professors, especially professors who are in the lab that I'm also a part of. They've also like helped me, guide me, like understand my like passion for academia. So yeah, that is how they've been, they've helped me. They've helped me, I guess, better understand what I want to do. And also like just in my journey, in my academic journey. EMMA: That's incredible to hear. I think that the faculty here is really just a… I don't think any other university has such incredible, welcoming, and just well-rounded faculty. So, I know in, well, I know just by working with you as a Patriot Leader, but then also in your promotional material for this episode, you have mentioned holding several roles during your time here at George Mason. How has being an international student served you in these positions? SAM: So, my first year, I'm a resident assistant. So, I worked at the Angel Cabrera Global Center, which is considered the international dormitory for George Mason students who are from like different countries around the world. That was an incredibly long, I guess, incorrect sentence. But basically, I worked as an RA for like the international dorms. And I had residents who were from like Mongolia, from South Korea, from like China, from India. And it just it was really nice that as an international student, I was able to guide them. I was able to like help them acclimate, I guess, to the culture at George Mason. And also like they really like looked up to me. They considered me like a credible person to go to, to learn about, like just being at George Mason. They came to me, they would come to me, they would ask me like what resources to go to for like a certain thing. And I was able to help them. So I think like being an international student and also being able to work in an international dorm, that was like incredible. And I consider myself really lucky that I was able to help like international students, fellow international students. t really felt nice. I really did feel like I was making like an impact in their lives. And I still keep in touch with a lot of them. And it was just like a fuzzy, warm feeling. I really liked serving in that position. Outside of that, I've also been working as an RA for the CHSS. So we have a residential learning community for CHSS. And I am an RA, one of the three RAs for that, for the residential learning community for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences specifically. And again, I worked with freshmen. I worked with first year students. So like they're all from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. So it's just being a psychology major and also having other like first year students who are also like psychology or like criminology or like are interested in humanities and this field. It's just, it's just a good feeling. And I feel like I'm also able to help them better because I know about the resources here. And yeah, they also come to me. It's just nice to have the experience and for me to like be able to help them. CADIE: Well, I also think that there's a lot of value in having community where although you guys will be from countries that have very different and very unique cultures, you do have a common similarity in being international students and kind of uniting in that and finding comfort in that there are however many other people that you're surrounded by who are going through similar experiences to what you're going through. Our next question for you is what does your average day in the life look like? Balancing classes, work and student life because as you mentioned, you do so much. It's very impressive. SAM: So I think I used to be a very like regimented, like ritualistic person when I first came to the US. But I've like over the years, I've really tried to like tone that down a little bit and I'm more spontaneous now. I am like, I say, in the past, I was kind of like very rigid in like my plans throughout the day. But nowadays, like if somebody like asks me to hang out, I'm like, yeah, for sure. Like, you know, I've started to like be more open, keeping myself more open and flexible to things. So I don't really have like a, my everyday looks very different. And I don't have this like one, like I guess a uniform kind of routine. But yeah, I wake up. If I can, I try to grab breakfast at Ike's or Southside. I do like eat at the dining halls a lot. And it's classes from there on. And I have like little breaks throughout the day where I go to the library. I meet up with friends. I usually get like lunch together with my friends when I can. And I'm usually at the library like a lot, like the fifth floor, Fenwick fifth floor. That is where you'll probably find me during the midday, like afternoon time. And I attend classes throughout the day. My classes, they're pretty much like uniform. Like I have classes in the morning and then I have classes in the afternoon. That is how I've like created my schedule. And the time in between I hang out with friends. I have time out for myself or I'm like back in my dorm. Or sometimes I'm like doing my Mason Mingles with my residents. Doing one-on-ones with like supervisors. And just like, just loitering around really. Like I'm just like in the JC and I'm like walking. But yeah, that's kind of like how my life, I mean, every day looks like. CADIE: I love that. EMMA: I, as we start to close out act one, I want to ask you when you think back to your first semester at Mason, what stands out to you as a memorable or defining moment? SAM: I don't think there was like this one moment which is like, which was like really memorable for me. But like after coming to the States and like getting to my dorm and like talking to my roommate, like it just kind of felt like, oh my God, I am here now. You know, I've been preparing like for like almost six months for that, like just to be here. And it just felt really surreal. I think that that was kind of like one defining moment. My first day in the dorms, like getting, grabbing food with my roommate and like me just like having this, like I guess epiphany of like, oh my God, I'm here now. Like all of it, like after like six, seven months of like rigorous process, I'm here now. I feel like that was kind of like one moment that I always look back to. We were, it was my first time ever at Southside. And like, I was just like with my roommate, we were talking and it just like, like it just popped up in my head and it just like occurred to me that I was like here. And I guess that was a lot of mixed emotions were playing in my head as I was thinking about that. But I think that was kind of like one definitive moment that I always like look back to, like me that first day grabbing like a burger with my roommate and just thinking, oh my God, well, I'm here now. CADIE: And with that, that will be the end of act one. We're going to move into the bulletin board where we're going to hear from a couple of resources as well as some announcements. CADIE: Don't skip this. This isn't an ad break. This is the bulletin board. In every episode, this is where we will announce upcoming events and opportunities in CHSS, hear from correspondents, and give shout outs to the resources that make this podcast possible. YALI: Hello, good morning, everyone. My name is Yali Pan. I am the Associate Director for Engagement and Assessment with the Office of International Programs and Services, OIPS for short. My email address is ypan8@ gmu.edu. If you guys want to find me, my office is located in suite 4300 in Sub One building. JONATHAN: Hello, everyone. My name is Jonathan Carmona. I'm the Assistant Director for International Engagement in the Office of International Programs and Services, OIPS. My email is jcarmon2, j-c-a-r-m-o-n-2 at gmu.edu. My office is located in Sub One, suite 4009. YALI: So just to give you a brief overview of our office, by name, our office serve international population. We serve international students, international scholars, faculty, researchers. The majority of them, they are on visa statuses. And the vast majority of them, they are on F1 and J1 visa statuses. So what our office does is to provide advising on regulatory matters to make sure students and scholars are in compliance with their visa statuses. And also we host the co-curricular programs and the initiatives to engage international scholars students and faculty to make sure they have a sense of belonging and they have a sense of home, away from home. JONATHAN: Yes. So throughout the academic school year, our office hosts a variety of events for the students that vary from academic, professional, educational, cultural, and social events. And these events vary from International Cafe, mixers for international students, we have an international buddy program in our office, and we have other programs that are targeted for specific populations, like the Mason Korea student population and also the International Student Advisory Board. And throughout the semester, we try to host as many events as we can. And our students are very engaged and really enjoy the community aspect that we bring to the Mason community. YALI: And I know sometimes students think that, it is actually hard to find information what is going on in OIPS. I would recommend you to come to our office in person. We have lots of posters, flyers posted outside of our office. We also have a weekly newsletter that goes out to all international students every single Monday around 5 p.m. In addition, we also have flyers posted across campus. And if you don't have all the sources of information, you can always email either me or Jonathan or come to our office to seek any guidance if you need to. I do want to give a shameless plug for our upcoming International Week. International Week is a very unique and signature George Mason tradition to celebrate the diversity and richness of our international community. And this is going to be our 45th year to celebrate International Week. The dates are going to be March 27 to April 5th, 2026. And Jonathan is going to tell us a little bit rundown of the programs. JONATHAN: Yes, so during International Week, we have many events that are traditional to just the George Mason community. And these events include the International Week Parade and Festival, which is when students get to represent their own nationalities, countries, and identities and walk around campus carrying those flags with so much pride. And that will be happening on March 31st. The next day on April 1st, we will be hosting our Tour Around the World event, which is a food around the world event and a food tasting event for students to get an opportunity to try food from all over the world. And on Thursday, April 2nd, it will be our big and most anticipated event, which is our International Dance Competition, which takes place in the Center for the Arts building. And that is the student organizations, the registered student organizations here at George Mason University competing for money prize to see who's just the best organization at dancing. YALI: And of course, you know, we do a lot of exciting and fun events. We also want to try to prepare students to be career ready. And that said, we do not work in silos. We do collaborate with a lot of other units on campus, including the University Career Services. So, we have workshops, we have other things going on to engage international students. And also we try to engage international alumni to connect with current students as well. In addition, our office, you know, as I mentioned earlier, the vast majority of international students are here on J-1 or F-1 visa statuses. We also host webinars and workshops on immigration related matters so that the students can start planning ahead for their upcoming journeys upon graduation. JONATHAN: Yeah, and don't think that we only support international students in our office. We love working with domestic students as well. And we love giving opportunity to domestic students to engage with the international student population. So domestic students have many opportunities to either work in our office or either participate in our programs as well. And we really encourage that because we think that's a very important part of the student experience to just learn about other people of other countries and from other multicultural backgrounds. So, if you're a domestic student, we definitely encourage you to try out our different programs and different initiatives that we have in our office. CADIE: And thank you again so much to the OIPS office. International Student Week sounds fantastic. I know I'm very excited for that since I missed it last year while studying abroad in Spain. Be sure to go check it out. Now onto your CHSS announcements. As this is spring break, we are deep in midterm season, and I've got two events for you guys once we come back to campus. The first of which being the CHSS link-up event. This is where alumni and students will be paired together, and it's designed to give you an honest practical insight into the realities of professional life. This spring's panel, Navigating Career Challenges, a holistic approach will explore common hurdles such as career pivots, workplace transitions, leadership growth, and overcoming setbacks, managing social anxiety, handling stress, and protecting your mental well-being while pursuing ambitious goals. The next event that I have for you guys is the CHSS Midterm Semester De-Stress Event, and I don't know about you guys, but I know for me, this midterm season has been stressful, so I might be pulling up. This is going to be Wednesday, March 18th from 10am to 12pm in the Horizon Hall Atrium, and it's really just going to be a time to come and de-stress and forget about your grades and your worries and your strife for a little bit, because you are allowed to take a mental break because if you get burnt out during midterm season, then you are not going to put your best work forward and your grade is going to suffer for that. Those are all the events that I have for you today. I'm going to take it back to the interview now. CADIE: Welcome back, here we are in Act 2, and this segment is going to be a bit of a deeper reflection, really pulling from your experiences as an international student here in Mason and how that impacts and affects your daily life, because I'm sure it does impact and affect your daily life. Our very first question for this second act is, how have cultural differences influenced the way you approach learning, communication, or the relationships you have here at Mason? SAM: One thing that comes to mind is, I'm from a country where we tend to pay utmost respect to elders, so there's an appeal to authority kind of thing, where anything that has been told to you by an elder is considered the right thing, or that is what you're supposed to do. I think I really had to unlearn that after coming to the States, because we still respect elders here in the United States, but it's not that anything that they say just goes by, or there's no input from the other person. I can still, my professors can still say something, and I can still be like, “Um…” I can still question, I can still be like, “That to me does not seem like, I wouldn't be comfortable with that.” I can still say something back. And I think this is also kind of a culture shock that I experienced after coming to the States, that people are not hesitant to question or counter-question things that has been said to them by elders. But yeah, this is kind of one cultural difference that I really had to learn how to navigate in my academics, within my relationship, because I am constantly, I have to be constantly talking to people who are in positions above me, like my supervisor, or my professors, or the grad students that I work under, or instructors who are also still more experienced, or older than me. So yeah, I really had to, I guess, learn how to, in a way, level the playing field out, because in my head, I'd be like, oh my god, they're still older than me, I shouldn't be doing this, or I shouldn't be acting like in this certain way. I'd be thinking that in the past, but now I've just been more comfortable on how to navigate my relationships better. CADIE: Yeah. EMMA: Are there any moments when you have felt at home here? CADIE: And for listeners, we use quotations around at home. SAM: Definitely, yes. Working as a patriot leader, I think that really made me feel at home. The reason for why I returned, I was actually a two-time patriot leader, so I did that over the summer of 2024, and also the summer of 2025. So the reason for why I returned in the first place was because I felt really at home, I felt like I belonged there. First semester, my first and second semester, it was kind of like, I was still trying to find my way around university, trying to adapt to the US lifestyle and everything. But just joining the new students and family programs, I was just able to smoothly fit in, and it just felt like me. I was a part of it. And definitely, being an orientation leader, and doing all the stuff, like dancing on the stage, and taking students for a tour, and just making friends, living in the dorms together, all of that just made me feel at home. And looking back, that was such a special moment for me. CADIE: I can say coming into Mason, going to orientation with the patriot leaders, that was really nice from an outsider's perspective. I remember laughing, because obviously the dance is funny, and it's a little corny, but it's also just really entertaining. And it was one of those things that I'm like, oh my gosh, I can't believe that I'm actually here and in college now. This is so surreal. EMMA: That makes my PL heart very happy, my patriot leader heart very happy. CADIE: Yes, it was very entertaining. And if I wasn't an out-of-state student, I would probably sign up for being a patriot leader, low-key. But I kind of want to go home in the summer, so EMMA: Understandable. CADIE: Yeah, moving on. In what ways do you feel your experiences at Mason have prepared you for life beyond graduation? SAM: So as I've mentioned earlier, I want to be in academic researching. I like studying, and I like the act of discovery, and the whole scientific method, making hypotheses. I love research, and I'm not good at it. It's not that I'm like, oh, so good at statistics, and research methods, and everything. I just like, I'm passionate about it, and I try to get myself into positions that can help me get some sort of research experience. And Mason is an R1 tier university, so we have a lot, especially in psychology, we have a lot of research stuff going on. There's so many research labs, and in different domains within psychology. There's cognition-related labs, there are human factors-related labs, or industrial organization, or neuroscience, or developmental, clinical, all sorts of labs. And just being able to talk to professors, I was able to get into a lab so easily, and all I had to do was set up an appointment with the professor who's the principal investigator, and we just talked over, and I told them about my research interests, and they were like, yeah, come on in, we can get you on board, and you can just volunteer. And I was able to do all of that, and it was not a hard process at all. And I'm so grateful that Mason has, Mason just lets undergrad students, or even graduate students, I'm not really sure about the higher ed, upper level process, but for us, undergraduate students, it's really easy. All you have to do is make an effort, and professors, or faculty, or anybody, they do recognize that you're trying to put in work, you're actually passionate about it, and they will give you opportunities for that. So being able to do that, and gain some research experience, I think that has been really helpful for me to also know that, oh, this is what I want to do. And it has been preparing me for grad school, I know who to go to, I know what sort of things I will be possibly doing in the future. So I'm really glad that Mason has given me those opportunities, and I've also put an effort to get myself into those places, positions, and yeah, that is how I've been, I guess, working my way towards my career. CADIE: Yeah, that sounds amazing. Are you planning on staying here for grad school? SAM: Oh, that's something that I still am not really sure about. CADIE: Got it. SAM: Yeah, I will be applying to George Mason, but let's see, like, I'm not really sure, but I will be applying to George Mason. EMMA: So you touched on this a little bit so far, but looking back, how would you describe your personal growth since the start of your journey here at Mason? SAM: I was, in the past, like, when I was in Nepal, I grew up in a very, like, sheltered, I was a very sheltered kid, definitely coddled, and I didn't really go out much. I didn't really have a lot of friends, a big social circle. I mean, I still don't have, like, that huge of a friend group. And like, I'm not like a extremely extroverted social butterfly who goes out everywhere, but I feel like I've still, I'm not an extroverted person, but I still, I feel like I've been able to garner a lot of the social skills that I did not have back home. And yeah, like, I've personally seen growth in terms of, like, my sociability and just, like, the ability, like, my capacity to hold, like, a conversation with another person, like, have productive discussions with another person, all that kind of stuff, and also independence. Like, I've definitely begin to, I guess, realize, like, my own autonomy, that I'm, like, an autonomous person, I can make my own decisions. And like, actually, like, understanding the weight of my decisions, those sort of things are, like, some, I guess, yeah, I've definitely seen personal growth in those areas of my life, independence, like, sociability. And yeah. CADIE: Yeah, I think, regardless of nationality, being on your own and being in a new place on your own for the first time, it's such a great way, but also, like, scary way to gain independence, because you are going through so much as you're going through the process of culture shock. Because culture shock, well, it is, like, commonly referred to as, you know, maybe something that you find shocking, like, you know, that you mentioned, like, the sky, or I know for me getting to Europe, it was the caps on the bottles, the fact that they don't come all the way off. But it's also a process where you get somewhere., and at first, it's like this honeymoon stage, oh, my gosh, I can't believe I'm here, it's amazing. And then little by little, like some of the cracks kind of slip in. And you're like, oh, this isn't what I thought it was. I'm not enjoying it as much. And then you hit this moment of like, I don't want to be here, somebody take me home. And then slowly, you begin to acclimate. And you begin to have a newfound appreciation for your new home. And when we talk about that process of acclimating, can you talk about what that experience was like for you? SAM: Um, acclimating was definitely hard. It was a slow process. Like I, I didn't just like me, like, I, I don't think I'd be able to like have like, be on a podcast or like be talking about my experiences like this in my freshman year, it definitely took a lot of like, time, like a lot of social interactions. There's so many interactions that took place for me to get to the point that I'm at right now. So it was definitely a slow, slow process. I like, I think I'm fortunate to have had like a strong social support, like for my friends, for my family. And that really, that really helped a lot. But also, yeah, the process of acclimating, it was slow, it was deliberate. And I also had to put myself, like I had to make myself uncomfortable, like, a lot of the times for me to like, get to the point that I'm at right now. For example, like before I did the orientation stuff, as a patriot leader, I was also a Mason ambassador, which I don't really tell people about a lot, because it was only for a single semester. But my second semester at Mason, I applied to become a Mason ambassador. And I take like little groups of like families and high school students like around campus, I'd show them like the South Side, Hanover Hall, and the College of Public Health, like the Peterson Health Sciences building. So I did that. My first semester, I applied to be a part of this like a club called Kids Can Write Club. And basically, we used to go to this one school in Fairfax, an elementary school in Fairfax. And we helped like, fourth graders write their own story and publish their own Amazon book, like a little hard copy book. So yeah, I had to do a lot of those tiny little things to get to the point of like, you know, being like talking to professors telling them about my research interests and being like, oh, like, I want to do this and that. So yeah, it was it was a lot of like little tiny efforts that led me here. CADIE: Yeah, EMMA: That perfectly sets up the next question, which if you're willing to go deeper, what helped you adjust to life in the US? SAM: Again, having like a strong social support. I have friends who live on campus as well as off campus. I also have like my relatives who also live nearby, they live like 20 minutes away. So I think like a huge part, like a huge part of like, why I was able to acclimate, um, like, I wouldn't call it easily. But like, having that, like having that social net around me, helped me a lot. Like, because I knew that I had some people that I could like rely and like fall back to if like something were to happen to me, if some, like I if I were to like, I guess have financial problems, or if I had some sort of like logistical problems, I could always like rely on them. And just like socially as well, I knew that, oh, I could always if I ever felt lonely, I could always just like call up my friend and be like, Oh, I'm like, you know, “Can we hang out? Can we like do something?” Or like during festivities, I think, you know, I miss Nepal a lot when it's time like when it's like the peak festival time one festival, the Nepalese people we consider like a big festival is called Dashain, and it usually takes place during October, mid-October. So I usually hang out with my friends and we are we do our own little thing like we make food together, or like, we do something by ourselves. And it is not like how it was like in Nepal, but we're still trying to adjust to how it's like living in the US and like making things work with what we have here. So yeah, definitely like having that social circle having like a net to that I can like rely on really did help me in the acclimation process a lot. EMMA: Yeah, that's really beautiful. CADIE: That is so key. And so essential. Community is so important. And I wish that we emphasized and relied on community more. And on that topic, this isn't one of the scripted questions. But just as a follow-up, while we're sitting here and listening, you know, what advice would you have for other international students who are searching out that community themselves? Because I couldn't imagine like, being an international student without having people there. I was lucky enough when I was heading to Spain, like to have a cohort. So yeah, what advice would you give to international students who want to find their people? SAM: I would say that it is it is gonna be like a different experience, like coming to the United States, like it won't be like how it's like back home. But if you put yourself out there, you don't have to go, like, above and beyond or mask, like, aspects of your personality just so that you can fit in. Like, if you just like, are authentic, and if you just put yourself out there, if like you see somebody that you really like, go, but you can go initiate a conversation, you can just like, do that. And you can see, it doesn't matter if you guys are like, if you guys become like best friends close. That's not the goal, you don't have to be best friends with that person. Just like, initiate that conversation, like get to know another person, put yourself out there. And I think just like, yeah, just putting yourself out there is really important. That is what I would recommend that international students do. Things are going to be different things are going to like, even if you go from like one school to another school, in your home country, things are going to be different. And it is an entirely different country. Like coming to George Mason coming to the United States, it's going to be a completely different experience. But you have to like, make yourself uncomfortable. You should put yourself out like in uncomfortable situation. If you want to do something, just like, go for it. Enjoy the process. Don't really worry about the outcome or how it's going to be like, just like, I guess, embarrass yourself a little bit. Just put yourself out there. And it is going to be it is going to be a little difficult, but then you'll get comfortable, you get used to it, you'll learn. And that is how we grow. That is how we adapt. So yeah, just make yourself uncomfortable, a little at least. Yeah, that is what I would tell like international students. CADIE: Yeah, I love that advice. EMMA: I think that's great advice. CADIE: Can you walk us through and shine a light on what the moving process was like for you? Going from Nepal to Virginia, got across an ocean to get here. So what was that process like? What were the ins and outs of it that people who have not had to move internationally wouldn't really consider? SAM: I think visa process that was incredibly long. And it was also like, full of uncertainty for me. Because just because like you go to like an embassy and like you do the interview does not mean that you're like granted a visa right away. You really, it's like a financial you have to have like a financial proof. You have to like show it to the people in the embassy that you can afford to live and like to pay for your tuitions and everything. And all that process, it's really full of uncertainty. And after that, there's again, like booking a flight ticket, especially like Nepal and from Nepal to USA. The tickets are also super expensive. So there's that to consider. And after that, like the customs, you know, like after coming to the states, all that. And yeah, like, I am fortunate to live on campus and in the dorms. And I'm also an RA. So my housing is covered because I work for housing. I can't imagine how it's like living outside. I've had friends who live outside and it's they had they had like, they had to learn a lot of things like they had to learn about how rent work, how like electricity bills have to be paid or how like your internet setup works. And all those like little tiny things have to be taken into consideration for the move-in process. For me, I still consider myself relatively like lucky compared to my friends who live off campus, because like, the only move in and out that I've had to do is within the university within like from like one dorm to the other. But for my friends, it's it's a little if you're living off campus, and you're, you're probably going to have to like, learn about a lot of like, have to learn about like a lot of life skills, like, for example, how rent works, how like lease works, and all that stuff. For me, it's, it has been like, relatively an easier process. But yeah, it is definitely a learning experience. So you're gonna have to get like, you're gonna have to find yourself in that position to learn more about it. EMMA: I think I'll say, I don't even know how I mean, how renting and leasing and paying bills. I don’t even know how that works, so. So I'm curious, can you walk us through the experience of going to DC for the first time after moving here? I think, from my understanding, I think that's a very, like, I've heard that's a very exciting thing for visitors or international students to visit. SAM: Yeah, oh my god, DC. So once I came to the States, I didn't like, start living in a dorm right away. I lived with my uncle and aunt. The first place that they actually took me, like, to show me the States was to DC. So we went to the monument. I've been to the monument a lot of the times now. But yeah, that was like, incredible. Like, I felt this, I was like, looking at a really huge pencil. It looked like a pencil. There's that seeing the White House, like in, like actuality, that was pretty cool. Um, yeah, I took a lot of pictures, we went to like a lot of parks, it was a hot day, it was August. And I'm not really because I'm from Nepal, and it's really cold out there. It was super hot. When I came to the- it felt as though it was like super hot. Now I've like been used to the the climate and the temperature change that happens. But back in 2023, it was it felt like it was so much hotter than, I guess, in Nepal. So yeah, we I also go it was, it was so real, though, because I'd only seen DC like movies, like the White House, and I went to the National History Museum. What is it? EMMA: The Smithsonian? SAM: Yes! Oh my god, that was, that was incredible. Like, I love museums personally. And just like seeing all the artifacts, like seeing like everything inside it it was incredible. And yeah, I had Chipotle for the first time. And yeah, that was that was my DC experience. It was it was definitely surreal. Because I'd only seen DC in movies before, or in news actually in news channels. So it was incredible. Yeah, it was and it was a hot day. Yes, that is all I remember. First time in DC. Chipotle was really good, though. The first time I had it, oh my god, I was like, yummy. CADIE: I was just about to ask you and what was the consensus on Chipotle? What was the consensus on American fast dining, fast food? SAM: It was a lot like the portion. It was huge. It was a huge bowl. Now I feel like now Chipotle is like one once a day kind of meal for me now, you know, like if I if I eat like if I haven't eaten anything for the whole day, Chipotle and I'll be done and I'll be like, good to go to bed. But that time I'd already had breakfast, and it was kind of like a lunch. So that was like a huge plate of food for me. But yeah, it was yummy. CADIE: Chipotle is always good. And I can't believe it, but we're already coming to a close. Um, this has gone by so fast. And I'm so grateful that you're here to sit down with us and answer all these questions and give some clarity on the international student experience. Because I think that, like I said earlier, Mason has such a vibrant international student community. But I also feel like, as students who aren't international, we should engage with that community more and make sure that we are all Mason students together as well. EMMA: I don't think that non-international students realize how embedded and integral international students are to the community and vitality of the George Mason student body. CADIE: 100%! 100%. With that being said, we like to ask all of our guests this final question. That is what advice would you give to students here at Mason? Maybe specifically international students? This could just be for the student body as a whole. I'll leave it up to you. SAM: College life… it is it is weird. It is it is new. It is new for like everyone. I think not just international students, even like regular locals, like some people who've been like, like who've been living in like the Fairfax area for like the entirety of their lives. It is still a new experience for everyone. And international students like yeah, we have to like, outside of just like being new to college, we are also new to the country. So when you're, I guess, interacting with anyone who's like from a different country, just have that like cultural humility. Just like know that oh, you know, yeah, they're from like a different place. And just being more mindful of that as you're interacting with them. But also know that like, you know, just because they're from a different country does not mean that like, I guess it's not that they don't know anything. And be sure not to like ostracize them. Be sure not to stereotype them. Just like have like an actual conversation with them. Because everyone I am speaking here as like somebody who's from Nepal, who's international student, but like my experience might be different from like another Nepalese fellow Nepalese international student. So yeah, just like talk to the person talk to the individual, then like just like, think of them as this like, I guess, this sub subset of like community. But yeah, like talk to the individual, get to know them. And that is how I would say that is kind of like the one message that I'd like to tell the community. Everyone has it hard. Everyone is new to the college. Everyone is new to campus. But yeah, it is just a process we all find our way. And yeah, good luck. If you're a first-year student listening to this and good luck, your things are going to get better. And you're in for a long ride. CADIE: Things do get better, though. I swear. EMMA: Well, I think all of that was a wonderful message to share and a great note to close out this episode. Sam, thank you so much for being here. Is there anything that you would like to shout out or promote? Where can listeners find you on social media or in CHSS? SAM: Shout out, I would probably shout out the residential learning community for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. We have a wonderful residential community here. Like you, if you're a CHSS major, you can live on campus with other fellow CHSS majors. You can have a roommate who's like the same major as you or like similar kind of like, for example, if you're a psychology major, you might have a roommate who's criminology major or like you might have other people living on your floor who are also doing the similar kind of stuff that you're doing or plan on doing in the future. And I think we don't really like promote the RLC that much. People really don't know that they have an option of doing that. Definitely look into it. I think it's a wonderful opportunity for first-year students, especially. That is like one shout out I wanna give. And yeah, you can find me on LinkedIn. I am, my username is Samriddhi Subedi, my full name. And you can find me on LinkedIn. That's the only social media that I think I, like my professional social media. So you can find me on LinkedIn at Samridhi Subedi. Yeah, that's kind of all that there is. EMMA: Yeah, okay. CADIE: Amazing. EMMA: Once again, Sam, thank you for joining us. Listeners, thank you so much for listening to this episode of CHSS Connection. CADIE: Hey, thank you for listening to this episode of CHSS Connection. This podcast is hosted and written by Emma Howard and Cadie Junker. Our audio engineer is Dennis Gabitov. Our supervisor is Eleana Velasco. This podcast is produced by George Mason University's College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Undergraduate Academic Affairs. Special thanks to the Mason Innovation Exchange for their recording studio. The podcast could not happen without them. This project was developed in collaboration with Career Services and the On-Campus Internship Program. CADIE: If you love the show and wanna interact with more of our content, follow us on Instagram @chsspod or check out the CHSS website, where there's an ongoing library of our episodes. You can also be a potential guest on our podcast. EMMA: If you enjoyed the show and would like to express your support, there are a few things you can do. You can leave a review wherever you are listening to this podcast. You can help by word of mouth, either by telling someone directly who might be interested in the show or posting about it on social media, tagging @chsspod. All these things help support the show, and we appreciate anyone who has done it or will do so in the future. Again, thank you for tuning into this episode. We hope you will tune into the next episode, where you're joined by Dr. Mike Hurley for our first-ever Faculty Spotlight episode. But until then, stay curious! CADIE: Stay creative! BOTH: And stay connected!