Although home is more than 5,500 miles away, sophomore Alpha Bah said he’s had no problem adapting to an American lifestyle that is completely different than the one back in Guinea, Africa.
After high school, Bah said his uncle suggested travelling to America to continue his studies due to his major choice in insurance risk and management. Although his major was offered in his country back home, Bah said, “It is hard to study it there because of the qualification of teachers and the poor quality of education.”
Bah said he believes he can receive a better quality education in the United States. When asked about his long-term goals after graduation, Bah said he plans on returning back to Africa with ambitions to start a fishing company that his country could benefit from.
Growing up in Africa with four siblings, Bah said his mother works as an accountant and his father works in the fishing business. He looks up to his dad’s work and plans on improving his family’s living.
When asked what he likes best about his UCA experience, Bah said he has really enjoys the African Students Association because he stays active on campus and was able to make friends from other students in the program.
“At UCA, I enjoy many activities and the diversity of the school makes it interesting,” Bah said. “Also, there are some international people that I play soccer with and being interactive with other people I learned many things.”
Bah likes the environment around campus because he is able to converse with others. “I think the environment around campus is nice because people are open-minded and that results to more communication,” Bah said.
Although Bah’s journey has been educational it has been one of culture shock.“The culture shock helped me to make many friends,’” Bah said. “American culture is really different from mine. When I got to UCA, I had some difficulties to keep up with the American accent. But, the more I hung out with people, the more I picked up on what is good and bad to say.”
This article originally appeared in the Sept. 16, 2015 print edition of The Echo
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