Enjoying the Familiar and Unfamiliar at Brigham Young University

 

It did not take long for Louise Rosa Paulsen to recognize that she needed something other than the traditional Danish higher education experience.

Paulsen is from Copenhagen, Denmark. The now 27-year-old started seeking a bachelor’s degree at the University of Copenhagen in 2010.

But right away she felt that she was very different from the other students there. For one thing, she was completely uninterested in the culture of parties and drinking alcohol that was widespread at the school.

So after a year there, Paulsen decide to leave the school and travel for a while. She moved to the United States and completed an internship¹ with the human rights group Amnesty International. Then she moved to London, England to volunteer for the Mormon Church.

Paulsen joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints² in her teen years, although she had been raised as a member of the Church of Denmark.

In 2014, Paulsen decided³ to restart her education, but not back home. Instead, she found a school that shared her religious beliefs: Brigham Young University.

Brigham Young University, or BYU for short, is a private, non-profit research university. The school serves about 33,500 students and is located in Provo, Utah, a 45-minute drive south of Salt Lake City, the state capital. Mormons led by Brigham Young founded the city in 1847 and the Mormon Church established BYU 25 years later.

In the end, Paulsen says the relatively⁴ low cost of attendance⁵ is what interested her the most about studying political science at BYU. But she also liked the idea that she would share similar beliefs with the other students, even though she was from a different country.

And, at the very least, partying would not be an issue. Alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and even coffee and tea, are all banned on campus because of the Mormon religion bars their use. The school also does not permit members of the opposite sex to enter each other’s bedrooms in on-campus housing. They can only enter the shared areas, and they may not enter each other’s on-campus housing at all during most late night hours.

Utah holds the largest Mormon population in the United States. However, Paulsen says, even though she had joined a familiar community, she still felt a little like an outsider.

"The community is different here in many ways. Mostly here I associate with … people who’ve been Mormons for their whole lives. I have not always been a Mormon, and I’m kind of made to be a minority, I think. … Here a lot of the people are culturally religious. I’m much more faith-based, as well. You kind of have to be, because culturally, Mormonism and Danish-ness does not really match."

Paulsen says she had worried about the possible beliefs she might find among people in Provo. She considers herself open- minded and politically liberal. She had heard that many people in rural America were very conservative⁶.

But she says, the more American students she met, the more friends she made. It did not matter if she disagreed with some people about issues like gun control or immigration, for example. She says almost everyone she met was open to discussing differing opinions respectfully. And some were even willing to change their opinions based on such discussions, she says.

Faris Naffa is a 22-year-old BYU student from Amman, Jordan. During his final year in high school, he decided he wanted to attend a college or university in Europe or the United States.

Around the same time, BYU representatives visited Naffa’s high school. Naffa liked what they said about the school. So, in 2013, he began studies at BYU for a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

Naffa is not Mormon. But, he says he did not care that he would be part of a small, non-Mormon minority at the school. Naffa grew up Christian⁷ in a majority Muslim country, so he is used to being different. Also, he says his parents liked that the school has firm rules governing student behavior.

In time, Naffa says, the school would have a greater effect on him than he could have expected. He was placed in on-campus housing with an American who quickly became his best friend. This friend brought Naffa to meet his family, and before long, they were treating Naffa like one of their own.

But more importantly, Naffa notes, his friend taught him to really enjoy outdoor activities.

Back in Jordan, Naffa says he never was that interested in activities like hiking or skiing. However, Utah is home to five national parks, and is relatively close to three other national parks out-of-state, including the Grand Canyon⁸ in Arizona. Utah also has many areas in which to ski.

Naffa says the natural beauty around Provo made the outdoors impossible to resist.

"Going from just doing normal stuff every weekend to doing really extreme, outdoor sport activities has just been a life changing experience for sure. … I definitely feel changed, because I’m not doing what I used to do before coming to college. Now I’m experiencing new things."

Naffa liked these new experiences so much that he ended up staying longer than he had first planned. He also changed fields of study and decided to join a BYU program in accounting⁹. This program let him finish his bachelor’s degree in three years, instead of the usual four. Then he was immediately accepted into a two year BYU master’s degree program in 2016.

He was able to take part thanks to financial support from the school and its international student office.

Louise Rosa Paulsen says she also plans to stay in the United States after receiving her bachelor’s degree. And, she wants to seek a master’s degree beginning this fall at a school on the east coast.

Paulsen says the secret to feeling at home in a strange land is holding on to things that make you remember the place you are from.

"Find ways to have your fun little cultural niches¹⁰ and stay normal and stay sane¹¹. Because you will get homesick … but you can find ways to be happy here anyways."

I’m Pete Musto. And I’m Lucija Millonig.

Words in This Story

bachelor’s degree – n. a degree that is given to a student by a college or university usually after four years of study

internship – n. a position as a student or recent graduate who works for a period of time at a job in order to get experience

teen(age) – adj. relating to people who are between 13 and 19 years old

campus – n. the area and buildings around a university, college or school

familiar – adj. used to say that something is easy for you to recognize because you have seen, heard, or experienced it many times in the past

associate – v. to be together with another person or group as friends or partners

faith – n. strong belief or trust in someone or something

outdoor – adj. done, used, or located outside a building

hiking – n. to walk a long distance especially for pleasure or exercise

skiing – n. the activity or sport of gliding¹² on a pair of long narrow pieces of wood, metal, or plastic that curve upward slightly in front, are attached to shoes, and are used for gliding over snow

accounting – n. the skill, system, or job of keeping the financial records of a business or person

master’s degree – n. a degree that is given to a student by a college or university usually after one or two years of additional study following a bachelor's degree

niche(s) – n. a job or activity that has the qualities that are right, needed, or appropriate for someone

homesick – adj. sad because you are away from your family and home

1 internship   

n.实习医师，实习医师期

参考例句：

• an internship at a television station 在电视台的实习期
• a summer internship with a small stipend 薪水微薄的暑期实习

2 saints   

圣人般的人（指特别善良、仁爱或有耐性的人）( saint的名词复数 )； 圣…（冠于人名、地名之前）； （因其生死言行而被基督教会追封的）圣人； 圣徒

参考例句：

• The children were all named after saints. 这些孩子都取了圣徒的名字。
• In 1461, the bishop of Saints, Louis de Rochechouart, saw only a plain wall. 1461年Saints主教，LouisdeRochechouart主教看到只剩一堵朴质的墙。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

5 attendance   

n.出席，出席人数，护理，照料

参考例句：

• The attendance of this class never dropped off.这个班的出席人数从未下降。
• The young man danced attendance on his rich aunt.这个年轻人小心侍候他有钱的姑妈。

6 conservative   

adj.保守的，守旧的；n.保守的人，保守派

参考例句：

• He is a conservative member of the church.他是一个守旧教会教友。
• The young man is very conservative.这个年轻人很守旧。

7 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

8 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

9 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

10 niches   

壁龛( niche的名词复数 )； 合适的位置[工作等]； （产品的）商机； 生态位（一个生物所占据的生境的最小单位）

参考例句：

• Some larvae extend the galleries to form niches. 许多幼虫将坑道延伸扩大成壁龛。
• In his view differences in adaptation are insufficient to create niches commensurate in number and kind. 按照他的观点，适应的差异不足以在数量上和种类上形成同量的小生境。

11 sane   

adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的

参考例句：

• He was sane at the time of the murder.在凶杀案发生时他的神志是清醒的。
• He is a very sane person.他是一个很有头脑的人。

12 gliding   

v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的

参考例句：

• Swans went gliding past. 天鹅滑行而过。
• The weather forecast has put a question mark against the chance of doing any gliding tomorrow. 天气预报对明天是否能举行滑翔表示怀疑。