“I love the festival of Navratri, it is celebrated somewhere during mid-September, mid-October (dates vary). There is so much dancing but it’s never tiresome. There is also Diwali which is a major festival! I can’t pick one I love them both, they are important to me because the pre-rituals, rituals performed during these festivals remind me of a simpler time at home.”

“Biggest challenge has been being alone for most parts of the day, being far Everything about where I am from is different than most things here. Where I am from there are a lot of religious temples around than parks and people usually older people like to chill there instead of a park, even some younger ones.”

“My first impression was – Everyone is so nice, which still stands true today. Everyone that I have interacted with have been kind people and fun to get to know. The faculty members and the non-teaching staff were always there if I had a question.” 

“Biggest challenge has been being alone for most parts of the day, being far away from family. My cousin’s son- my nephew, he is 1 now growing up so fast, it is tough not being able to be a part of his milestones. Facetiming helps. I also make sure I go see them during ever break!”

“Personally, I am amazed by the passion students here have for their schools. They have a certain pride about going here, justifiable. I have never witnessed people wearing their school merch, support the sports teams so passionately. It is refreshing to see that and that inspires me and makes me believe in myself. I tell myself, if I can get into a school this incredible, anything is possible if you are sincere enough to make something shift.”

“By asking other international students. There is student health to help with those questions, you can always send them an e-mail.”

“Talking to the designated people really helps. If you are unsure who to ask, you can e-mail student health and they will guide you!”

“Student service dept. is always there for anything at all that you might need. Every Thursday an e-mail gets send out that informs you about job opportunities, you can get help with your resume as well.”

“Talking to students who are native to Iowa and surrounding regions can really help navigate life around the city, most people are friendly. The first semester was particularly tougher for me because the way things are done here is very different than the way they are done back home, so asking questions to the teachers, peers can help. Reading helps, not just assigned reading but anything related to public health can only add to your understanding.”

“This is going to be such a great opportunity for you to explore who you are, what drives you, what motivates you. Take advantage of every teaching that comes your way, work on your growth both as a student and as a person.”

“Mostly through announcements made at the MPH seminars, Epi seminars, social media.”

“THE IMPERIAL SYSTEM! Please don’t ask me the temperature, I am going to answer in Celsius.”

“There is no ground floor ‘G’ here, the first floor is the ground floor so if you are ever told to climb up 4 stories, you will only have to go up 3 and that is a sweet little pleasant surprise when you don’t have to climb one more floor.”

“Be open to experiencing new things, try to learn a new piece of information each day about someone, something. Join whatsapp groups whether it is a community group or anything else especially if you’re here alone.”