I’m an international student from France and have been here since January 2003. I think that a 3 month experience is a fairly good basis on which to base an article on how I feel about being here in the United States of America.

I’ve been reading The Pacer for three months and I just have the desire to give the point of view of an outside student (so I guess this desire to write this article is academically motivated?).

Anyway, let me start with this place, UTM. This campus is an incredible place! And I am sure you love it and are proud of it. You have great teachers, a nice staff, well-maintained buildings and facilities, easy access to computers and internet, and you also have very nice and reliable people working at the International Programs Department.

What more could you ask for?

Well, you could maybe ask for more “freedom.” This place is a very nice cozy… prison. You’re supposed to be on time, you’re supposed to turn in papers on time, you’re supposed to do this and not that.

For those who are concerned about education, how do you think college students feel when they are treated the same way high school students are? Just think about it… and do something.

There is also one thing that has been puzzling me. I’ve heard a great deal about how the cuts in the university budget are going to affect teachers, students and the cost of the fees.

And last week, I read an article in The Pacer from a UTM student asking if there was anything students could do to help?

So I thought that maybe students could sign a petition and protest, just to let the government know what they think. That’s what we do in France, we go down in the streets and go on strikes!

But after witnessing the way government paid no heed to the numerous American protestors against war, I guess it’s not such a good idea. Maybe paying more to get an education is what you all think you deserve? Just think about it…there’s always some answers.

My U.S. History teacher back in France used to say that US foreign policy was always related to domestic policy, so I told myself Bush is attacking Iraq because there is not a thing in domestic issues that Bush as the president is willing or ready to change.

A bit simple as an explanation some of you would say? Well, let’s just say that for a person such as Bush who only sees the world divided between good people (Americans) and evil ones (all who are not American), my simple explanation suits him well.

What are the deeds Bush will be remembered for? Lowering taxes? Making education a top priority? No…so just think about it…and make changes.

The last thing that I find hard to understand is all the fuss over the freedom of speech. I think that all around the world, we have this cliché of Americans using their constitutional First Amendment to protect their freedom of speech, just think of any American law TV shows, films or paperback novels.

I am not saying that freedom of speech is questionable, what I’m trying to say is that now that all Americans know how to spell freedom and know what it means, maybe some Americans out there should learn new concepts such as TOLERANCE and RESPECT.

Those notions might even be helpful just in case some people would want to avoid ridiculous situations such as those silly “freedom” fries or the even sillier boycott of the Dixie Chicks music. I won’t even start talking about Bush and his non-respect toward the world community’s wishes and laws. So, once again take the time to… just think about it.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking these last weeks, not only because all these issues above and many others were puzzling to me, but also because this place is very different from my usual academic environment.

This experience has been quite a confusing one at first, but I’ve come to learn a lot about Americans and about myself.

To finish, I wish to tell you two things that I’ve drawn from my experience here as a student, first thing is that the United States of America is indeed in many ways a great country.

But the second thing that I learned is that I am really glad I am not an American, so that I don’t have to just think about all this.

Anne Yang is a senior English major from Orleans, France.