By HAYLEE BATES
Student Reporter
Students passed by the lobby and observed girls who franticly threw puzzles together as they tried to set a record.
Jan. 29 was national puzzle day, and South Hall residents participated in a contest to see who could put a puzzle together the fastest. There were three groups that participated at a time, but all eyes seemed to be drawn to one specific table.
The girls in this group were putting together a puzzle of the United States. After consecutive timed rounds and questions like “what does Kentucky look like” and “who broke Oklahoma,” these girls were proud to announce that they were not Americans.
Oluwatoyosi Kaffi and Precious Okeke of Nigeria and Betty Abbey of Ghana try to incorporate American culture into their lives by participating in as many campus events as possible.
Although they try to keep positive attitudes and make connections with those around them, coming to the United States was anything but easy.
Abbey remembers leaving her family and crying all the way to the airport. Leaving their families is something that they all agreed was the hardest part about coming to Oklahoma.
Even though they miss their food and vivacious culture, they knew that coming to the United States to get their degrees was an amazing opportunity. Kaffi knew that she could experience life in another country while getting a quality education, and she did not want to pass up the chance of a lifetime.
Although they find it difficult to adjust to the cultural differences, they now call Northwestern home.
Okeke said, “NWOSU is the name of the university and is a common last name in my tribe that means ‘children of foreigners.’ When I saw that I knew I had to come here, because it had a piece of Nigeria.”