Original posting from The Alligator, full article can be found here.

Anna Volentics, a 20-year-old UF international studies sophomore, doesn’t fly home to Budapest for Thanksgiving because it is not celebrated there.

“I always have a million invitations to all my friends’ house to celebrate with them, which is so, so kind because I think it’s such a warm and intimate family gathering,” she said. “I literally have no issue leaving campus to visit a friend or go hang out with someone and spend Thanksgiving with them.”

According to the UF International Center, UF was home to 6,881 international students out of the 56,079 total students enrolled in Fall 2018.

Entering a new country and culture can be intimidating for international students. Leaving their home country can open up a new set of challenges. From Thanksgiving dinners to silent disco nights, these international students have found their own unique ways to find a home away from home.

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Emilio G. Quiteño, a 20-year-old UF psychology major on a physiotherapy track with a Latin American studies minor, was born in El Salvador. He said he was raised in Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Canada.

Quiteño said he considered factors such as location, weather and prestige when choosing a school to go to.

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For international students, the big question of “What are you going to do after college?” takes on a whole new meaning.

“Because after your student visa expires, it’s like, what are you going to do?” Volentics said.

Volentics said she would love to have more clubs and programs that have speakers who were previously international students that could talk about what they did after college.

Finding a home away from home

Even with these challenges, organizations such as NaviGators International can help international students get acclimated to U.S. and UF cultures.