As a native of the area, I am always taking for granted the beauty here. Our alma mater is nestled in a truly unique location. It’s often hard to open your eyes and appreciate what is familiar to you, so I interviewed some international students to provide us with a fresh view of La Crosse.
Chinese student Charles Bi has already spent eight months in our city and will live here for a total of four years. One of his favorite aspects of the city is how the “people in La Crosse are very friendly and polite.”
“In China, I don’t have the experience that a car stops at a far distance when I walk across the road,” he said.
Bi will now willingly vouch for our “friendly” Midwest title. It isn’t just a stereotype.
Bi does miss some aspects of his home in Shanghai, like a bigger shopping mall and more entertainment options, especially the karaoke bars that are special to China. He also naturally yearns for more traditional Chinese food.
If you didn’t know this before, the Chinese take-out you order from China Star on a Friday night isn’t even comparable to authentic Chinese food. If you want to challenge your taste buds and get to know some “real” Chinese food, you could try Dim Sum’s Tea Shop located downtown.
International student Akshay Mehta provides a different perspective, coming to La Crosse for six months from Bangalore, India. His home city has a population of over eight million.
“With such a high population, the city is always vibrant, but with it comes the quality of life, which is slowly losing its charm. This is unlike La Crosse, which is surrounded by the beauty of nature, the bluffs and the Mississippi which give you an opportunity to stay away from the hustle and bustle of giant cities like the one I come from.”
Mehta and Bi both enjoy the city for its serene beauty. Mehta admires how “every avenue [of the city] provides you with a magnificent view.”
Bi adds, “La Crosse, as a small city, has a peaceful environment, which is good for me to study.”
The only complaint out of Mehta is, “I don’t like the cold winter. While its good to experience for a short time, after that short time it just gets on your nerves.” Even us native Midwesterners can understand this feeling.
From interviewing my international peers, I discovered we share similar feelings, even though I am a native who has spent her entire life in this culture, and Bi and Mehta come from different cultures and have only enjoyed our city for a matter of months. All it took was asking someone a little different than me a question to find new perspectives and make new friends. It goes to show that diversity is always a good thing.