Fairfax celebrates International Education Week with global potluck

For International Education Week, the LCI in Fairfax had a potluck where students brought in dishes from their different countries. The following countries participated:

• Uzbekistan
• Russia
• Brazil
• Oman
• China
• Saudi Arabia

We had a slide show where students shared their study abroad experiences. We even had shares from our professors. Some students and professors shared their culture and country. Below, find two essays from students who wanted to share their study abroad experiences in the U.S.

Daniella Pitanga (Brazil)

Two years ago, I moved with my family from Brazil to the United States to support my husband in his job. During this period, I was very busy with my family's adaptation and I could not improve my English to an academic level.

This season I decided to study at the Virginia Tech Language and Culture Institute. It was a perfect decision. I am very surprised with the course's benefits. I could not imagine how thrilling this experience would be to me. Knowing the correct grammar and learning to write academic articles has been a great pleasure. The style and the techniques of writing are very different from those of my country.

I am really inspired to continue discovering the English language, the American culture, and, soon, to have a new degree from an American university.

Adelya (Uzbekistan)

What do you want your friends back home to know about the United States? America is a great country and has a lot of opportunities. I wish my friends could experience it.

First, what i want to tell them is about U.S. education. Studying in the U.S. is much better and different than back home. Second, they can meet people from all over the world. Meeting new people and learning different cultures, languages is exiting. Third, they can travel as much as they want. America is one of the largest countries and has a lot of different states.

These are main things what I want to share with my friends about America.