Studying abroad is a dream for most. For some TLU students, it is the experience of a lifetime. But what about TLU’s population of international students who call TLU their home away from home?

Eduarda Stein Christ is an international Biochemistry student from Domingos Martins, Brazil. Currently a junior, Eduarda has achieved multiple accomplishments in her time at TLU. She is here because she is an International Women Leaders Program Scholar, which is a program with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Currently, Eduarda is the President of Pi Rho Chemistry Honor Society, Vice President of Tri Beta, Treasurer for TLU Math Club, a Black and Gold President’s Council Student Member, and a member of TLU’s Alpha Chi Chapter. This interview seeks to understand what it is like to be a study abroad student at TLU by talking with the impressive Eduarda.

The joys and struggles of being an international student at TLU:

Eduarda loves the support system here at TLU. The international education director, Charla Bailey, and her professors are helpful and kind. Overall, the faculty and staff at TLU have been a highlight.

“The people here are very nice and have made me feel very welcome here. I like the TLU atmosphere, the small campus, and that I can know my classmates and professors. I can have one-on-one meetings with them. That is something similar I had at my high school back home.”

Eduarda Stein Christ

Eduarda feels like most people have respected her culture and are willing to exchange cultural ideas with her. This creates an environment of understanding in her classes and settings. Even though TLU’s population of international students is not a high percentage, Eduarda wants more celebration of different cultures.

“I think we should also try to have an event that could give us the opportunity to show our culture. I’m here because of a program from the ELCA church, and they give scholarships for women from all over the world to come here and study in the U.S. My other “sisters” studying at Lutheran campuses have culture nights, where students of any culture can go and show something about their culture. I think that would be something nice to help me feel at home, and good for the students to have a cultural transaction.”

Eduarda Stein Christ

While being an international student can bring many benefits, logistics can sometimes hinder the experience. During the breaks, when Eduarda was a freshman and sophomore, she had to rely on her friends. This was because there was no cafeteria open or Lucky’s, and she could not get a car simply to get food. Eduarda acknowledges that this is not just an issue for international students but also affects international students significantly. Therefore, she suggested making a kitchen available or shortening cafeteria hours for people who have to stay on campus during breaks but do not have access to a vehicle.

When asked about culture shocks, Eduarda shared that there were very few. Because most of the media she consumed when she was younger was from the United States, she had clear expectations for college life. “Of course, living it is different from just watching it, but I already knew about sororities and fraternities,” she laughed. Her small culture shock was how people addressed each other as “ma’am” and “sir” in Texas. She explained another habit that she has adopted in her daily life is spontaneously complimenting other people. “It’s such a nice thing that I try to do it when I go back home too.”

Of course, there are some food-related culture shocks. At home, she has four meals, with lunch being the largest, but at TLU, dinner is the largest. Eating earlier in the day has also been something Eduarda had to adjust to. The largest culture shock, and the one that affects her the most, is how much people rely on their cars. Since there is little public transportation, that means international students often have to rely on their friends to get groceries. The temperamental weather was also something she had to adjust to.

Always a lifelong traveler:

Studying abroad is not a new experience for Eduarda. In high school, she went to both Thailand and Taiwan because of a Math Olympiad in 2018 and 2019, respectively. These experiences were much larger culture shocks. While these were shorter trips than her planned four-year stint at TLU, this was the beginning of her love of travel.

“It got me out of my bubble. Back home, I would watch the news a lot, which usually talked about the world, not just what was happening in my country. I would watch and see what is happening in Asia and Europe, but to go there and live a day there; to listen to their stories and see their history was mind-blowing to me.”

Eduarda Stein Christ

This awakened her confidence to study abroad in the United States. Eduarda believes she has learned a lot about herself through her current experience. She also thinks that traveling in your own country can be a gratifying experience that can open your viewpoint. Her love of travel is infectious, and now her family also travels more. She explained, “When I go back home in the summer, which is winter back at my home, we usually travel somewhere.”

Eduarda’s must-read:

Over the summer, Eduarda had the experience of taking a transformative class. The class, taught by Dr. Kaminski, was about understanding health from a sociological point of view.

“It opened my mind about how certain topics that don’t seem related can be related. As a STEM major, of course, I would think about the public health aspect, but not the social causes of public health. The class was a good mix of science components, humanity components, and social science components.”

Eduarda Stein Christ

The class used the book, The Social Causes of Health and Disease by William C. Cockerham as a main focus of study. Eduarda would recommend this book to everyone because it is important for society as a whole. Despite the book being about social issues, Eduarda has found it to be helpful even at microbiology conferences. “Even though it is more of a biology conference, one of the talks was about the social determinants of health.”

Eduarda describes how the book breaks down how society shapes an individual’s health through culture, financial status, and whether you have access to hospitals.

Public health is something everyone needs to be concerned about so that is why I would recommend it no matter your major or age. It really opened my view to that topic, and it is something we should definitely talk about more.

Eduarda Stein Christ.

Overall, Eduarda feels like TLU is an amazing place to study. Of course, there are always things that could be improved, but for her, being immersed in this atmosphere has been a rewarding experience. After two rewarding research experiences at TLU, Eduarda wants to complete more chemistry-related research in her future career. Now that travel restrictions have lessened, she looks forward to meeting more international students. On campus, one can hope that TLU remains a safe and inviting place for prospective study-abroad students.