Jia Guo is a 25-year-old international student from China pursuing a doctoral degree in operations management. He came to the University in August. For him, America represents opportunity and the future.

CW: Why did you come to America and choose The University of Alabama?

Guo: “If I had to give a simple answer, it is because [the University] gives money. I also got scholarships from other universities, but I think Alabama is good because of football. It is in the south of America, and Southern people are good. It’s very friendly. I like the movie ‘Forrest Gump.’ This is his university.”

CW: What do you like about campus? What do you not like about campus?

Guo: “The football games are very good, and the band is very good. I don’t like every moment when I cannot understand the jokes that my American classmates make. Language is still a problem. It feels bad when all the people are laughing, and you do not know what they are laughing about.”

CW: What’s the most different from your home country?

Guo: “A major difference is I found more disabled and old people here. I don’t think it means there’s more disabled people here, but in China, our facilities are not good for them. Those people do not want to go out in China, but here everyone is equal. If I can do something, then others can also do it.”

CW: Was it hard to adjust? If so, what was hard to adjust to and what was easy?

Guo: “Not so much. The food is okay to me. Some people have to adjust to the food, but for me, it just took one day. The jet lag is terrible. I had to stay in the Houston airport for 16 hours. I did nothing but sleep. The language problem is like the jokes thing, I cannot adjust well to it.”

CW: What’s the weirdest thing Americans do?

Guo: “The weirdest is the dressing of the people. In China, you cannot just wear a T-shirt with the name of a place. People would think that is so weird. In America, everyone is wearing one like The University of Alabama. I think it shows cultural pride.”

CW: What is your favorite thing Americans do?

Guo: “The clothes are very cheap. I went to an outlet in Birmingham, and there was a 70-percent-off discount. It was very cheap. I buy those clothes for $20. In China, it’s like $200. This is my favorite thing because it is a money thing.”

CW: How do you feel about American food?

Guo: “I haven’t seen here that they sell soy milk from McDonald’s. In China they sell soy milk for breakfast. I like Subway because I can learn a lot of new words. You have so many choices from bread to meat. Sometimes when I order a wrong sauce it will taste weird for me.”

CW: How do you feel about football?

Guo: “It’s crazy. Someone told me that on gameday is like a festival for this town. At first, I didn’t believe, but now I totally agree.”