In any given year, around 1,000 international students from about 100 countries around the world are studying at North Dakota State. I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with one of those students about her experience of coming to North Dakota from Mongolia.

Arigun Ganbat (who goes by Amy) grew up in eastern Mongolia before attending high school in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital.

“I grew up seeing movies and TV shows that were from the states, and so it was kind of a childhood dream to come here,” Ganbat said of her desire to study in the U.S.

“Also, psychology isn’t studied much in Mongolia,” Ganbat noted. “I declared my psychology major while in high school, and there is only one university in Mongolia that offers psychology, so that was a big reason for coming here.”

Ganbat said she got used to living away from home when she went to school in Ulaanbaatar, but there were still some things about Mongolia she missed occasionally.

“I miss some of the food, but the food here is really good, so it’s easy to adjust to,” Ganbat said with a laugh.

“But I do miss family and friends — the people who really know you and understand you as more than just a student or a woman or an Asian girl.”

However, Ganbat has found Skype and other messaging systems useful in keeping up with people at home, “and people here are ‘North Dakota nice,’ so that helps,” she said.

“That was another nice part about coming here,” Ganbat commented, “the expectations of what to be as a woman in Mongolia were pretty strict — you had to be thin, lighter skin was desirable, beauty was important — but here there is more emphasis on being yourself and on respect for different people.”

Ganbat was excited when she first arrived here, and so it was a surprise to her that some people were so nonchalant about classes.

“I was always taken aback by people who didn’t really care to go to their classes,” she said.

When asked about advice she would give to other students arriving from other countries, Ganbat shared some words that would be useful for any college student to consider.

“If I could talk to my past self, I would say to be optimistic and be open to every experience that comes to you. Try to make the best out of all of it while you have the opportunity.”