By Madison Hunt | Staff Writer
For some, Family Weekend is a beloved reunion, but for international students, it’s often an event stitched together by a phone or video call. The event becomes less about who can attend and more about how to feel when home is across the world.
Family Weekend will feature activities for all, including food trucks and vendors for Taste of Waco, a Lauren Daigle concert and a football game to kick off Saturday. But for some, other activities are on the agenda.
A graduate student from China, Xuechen Peng said she’s playing piano in the School of Music and applying for her doctorate degree this semester. Between her practice schedule, drafting emails or teaching students, she’ll spend her free time getting all the rest she can get.
“We as students in the School of Music live a very different life from most people on campus,” Peng said. “International students in the School of Music know how busy we get — auditions, booked jobs and everything in between.”
Peng said it’s difficult to balance music and studying. For many students juggling demanding majors and other commitments, they don’t have time to participate in traditions like Family Weekend.
“Our ensemble of pianists rehearse so often I may miss on-campus events and football games,” Peng said. “Weekdays are for practice and lessons and by the time everyone else heads to the football game, I’m packing up or catching a late-night phone call with my parents in a different time zone.”
For students like Ria Ma, a sophomore from Seoul, South Korea, the constraints stack up, such as being president of the Filipino Student Association (FSA). But Ma said being away from her family doesn’t bother her as much. For her, Family Weekend is a time to spend time with her friends in organizations she’s involved in on campus.
“Coming from a big city like Seoul, compared to Waco, is a vast difference. It almost feels empty sometimes,” Ma said. “The friends I’ve made here at Baylor from being a part of FSA makes me feel a new sense of community in this small city.”
The Center of Global Engagement is hosting an International Tailgate for the Saturday football game against Samford. International students will be able to experience an American football tradition by gathering together for food and games before the big game. More details and sign-ups for international student and scholar services’ events are sent out in the BU World Weekly newsletter each Monday.
