Today we bring to you the coolest fresh(wo)man apprentice from OIS!
Ruoyu (Lucy) Li, Class of 2019
Beijing, China
Undecided, but interest in Art History
Hello Ruoyu! International kids often have cool names; can you tell us how you got yours?
Li is my family name and “ruo” means appear to look like, and “yu” means sunlight. So “Ruoyu” means someone who looks like sunlight.
What about your English name “Lucy?”
I don’t know. When I was small I went to English training courses and my teacher there picked a name for me. So I just continued to use it until now.
Can you tell us about one time you felt very homesick? How did you overcome that?
During orientation when I first met my roommate, her family was there, visiting our room. At that time I felt very homesick because her parents were there and mine weren’t. Kind of jealousy, I suppose.
Once school started and I got really busy, I would just forget about being homesick. Or sometimes when I hang out with my friends I’ll just forget that I need a family [laughs]. It’s tricky, but sometimes your emotions shift.
What’s the most difficult thing about being at Vassar?
Speaking and writing in English. Everything in English… It sucks… Ok, not sucks, but it’s like, difficult.
What’s the biggest difference between the USA and your hometown?
Language is a big thing, and like just in general, culture is very different. And the way… Everything is different.
What’s the one thing you miss the most about your home?
Food? Food.
What’s your favorite thing to do at Vassar?
I like hanging out with friends and enjoying my Art History classes. My favorite places to hang out are in the dorms, in the Deece and at the Office of international Services.
What or who gives you the sense of belonging and how?
I would say… the first thing that pops into my mind is the Chinese student community and OIS. The Chinese students make me feel the sense of belonging ‘cause we are all from the same country and we speak the same language. And the internationals are the group of people I met first at Vassar… The first group of friends, and it’s lucky that we still stick together.
Thanks for sharing with us Ruoyu!
