INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS [Sat, 8-2-25]

BEYOND WINTER: The Irrelevant Memories of An Old Man—INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS [Sat, 8-2-25]

 

As Trump’s immigration dictates rise and fall without much order or rationale, college students from other countries are often caught in confusion. Will I be deported? Can I go home for a visit and still get back into the US? Will my green card be honored? Will ICE put me in Alligator Alcatraz because I look Mexican even though my Italian ancestors came here 125 years ago?

I’ve known quite a few international students over the years. From those relationships, I have learned that having students from many different cultures and countries enriches a university.

I also know that they can bring problems with them. They don’t always mix well on campus with some other students. Jews and Muslims have long-standing controversies. Sometimes even hatreds. The same is true of Indians and Pakistanis. Russians and Ukrainians. Zulus and Pondo. Irish and English. Poles and Germans. Manchester United and Liverpool.

I’ve gotten to know students from Korea and Germany and Norway and Kenya and Pakistan and Japan. Mostly, though, from Zimbabwe and Ghana.

We interacted mostly around clothing.

The first was when I was an IU undergrad and also the preacher on the Solsberry-Koleen-Mineral Circuit. Preachers were expected, always, to appear in a suit and white shirt and narrow tie. I had one suit. For Christmas, the church folk gave me a clothing store gift certificate to get a new suit.

I told Loyd Bates, the campus minister about it. “You know,” he said, “Stanlake Samkange [Stan’-la-kee Sam-khan’-gee]is just about to get his doctorate. He needs a suit to graduate and go to an interview…”

The folks at the church were a bit miffed that I gave their gift certificate away, but Stanlake got his doctorate, and became “…the most prolific of the first generation of black Zimbabwean creative writers in English.” [Wikipedia] His best-known works are On Trial for My Country, and African Saga, a popular history.

Besides, you can’t wear more than one suit at a time, anyway.

Through the years, I had a lot of Zimbabwean students, like James Dhliwayo and Susan Sithole, in my Wesley Foundations, because Methodists were strong in what was still called Southern Rhodesia when I started preaching.

I also had several students from Ghana, the home of Clement Asare and Sam Asamoah.

Sam was a graduate student at Eastern IL U and a regular attender at the church I pastored. He got sick and was hospitalized. The doctors couldn’t find a cure for whatever ailed him. I went to see him at the hospital, of course, and prayed for him, like I did anyone else I visited. The difference was, he got well immediately.

“It was your prayer,” he said. “You cured me.” As a thank-you, he gave me a beautiful hand-made dashiki. I still have it.

I guess it was an African trade for that suit I gave to Stanlake.

John Robert McFarland

The photo above is Stanlake.

He and I were students in the IU History Dept at the same time, but we never met or had classes together since he was finishing his doctorate and I was still taking survey courses.