Saleh Alsharmah speaks with Mary Beth Trevino of the International Program, about his recent admission to OSU.

Communication skills challenge Saudi students (part 2 of 3)

Two students talk about struggle to learn English in America

By: Rachel Crews

Posted: 4/19/07

Learning English is just the first step toward their goals, but for Saudi students the first step can be the hardest. Saleh Alsharmah and Ali Ghazi Alnakhli are from the same country, but their lives couldn't be more different.

Alnakhli came to OSU to study pre-pharmacy. He spent a year in medical school in Saudi Arabia earning a 3.7 GPA, when a 3.75 GPA was required to proceed with his pharmacy training.

When Alnakhli heard about the numerous scholarships available for students studying in the U.S., he decided to apply.

Alsharmah wanted to pursue a business degree. His uncle, who is an OSU alumnus, encouraged him to attend the university.

"I will be doing my own business. My dad has two lands in the center of my city, Nagar. So, I am planning when I go back to develop the two locations, to build stores, to be the manager," Alsharmah said.

When Alnakhli came with a group of Saudi students to Corvallis he spoke some English and was able to communicate more effectively than most of the students he was with. But even he found communicating to be a struggle.

"The first few months I faced a lot of problems to illustrate what I wanted to say to American people," Alnakhli said.

"How easily it comes to people depends on their education. We took English classes back home, starting from the intermediate school until high school."

Alsharmah did not speak any English when he came to the U.S. He missed student orientation and struggled to get situated in his new environment.

"It was extremely hard for me. When I wanted to communicate with people, when I wanted to ask for something I couldn't do it, I couldn't ask," Alsharmah said. "Probably this was the most difficult thing when I came here."

Alnakhli's father is an electrical engineer and his mother is an Arabic teacher. Both parents encouraged him to study in the U.S. His brother is a senior in high school, and Alnakhli is encouraging him to come to OSU next year.

Alsharmah is one of 15 children. His tribe lived as Bedouins, an Arab nomadic pastorial group, until he was 11 years old.

"When technological advancement came, everyone decided to move to the city to live the good life rather than staying in this very traditional life," Alsharmah said. "Everyone wanted a house and to cook food. It was a good choice for us to go to the city and be educated."

What surprised Alsharmah the most, while staying in the U.S. was a different family dynamic he witnessed among the students and their parents.

The main difference he saw between the two cultures was a lack of communication between parents and children.

Alsharmah also discovered that children are essentially kicked out of the home once they're 18, where in Saudi Arabia children live with parents their whole life.

Both Alsharmah and Alnakhli saw their stay in the U.S. as a great opportunity to learn about American culture as they study at OSU.

The teachers at the English Language Institute would say they are learning just as much from their students as they are teaching.

"We've learned a lot," said Donna Shaw, a teacher at ELI, "I think every teacher here would tell you we've learned tremendous amounts about Saudi Arabian culture just from being around our students."