Before this year, Hunter Cong had not travelled beyond the Eastern Hemisphere. But in August, the freshman class welcomed Hunter as the first foreign exchange student of the class of 2016.

Drawn to the United States in search of a better life, Hunter left his home in China to pursue his dream of playing basketball in the “land of opportunity.”

“Yeah I think there’s more opportunity here. There are basketball matches and lots of practice. China sometimes will offer [these things], but not so much . . . there are no games, no matches. Probably because status is more important and you have to take a final examination,” said Hunter.

But adjusting to life in America has presented its own set of obstacles for Hunter. “All of my family is in China, so I’m brand new here . . . The day my father left, I kind of cried and got a little homesick. But my father encouraged me and told me that there’s another life here. I can never just give up.”

So until basketball season picks up in the winter, Hunter will be spending most of his time exploring and acculturating to the United States.

“The kind of passion, the sports, the culture and the people here – I want to know them, so I came here just to broaden my view. Life in China is good and I have a lot of friends there, we can talk to each other everyday. But I think in here, people are more generous and more open.”

Apart from his passion for basketball, Hunter also enjoys playing the piano and hopes to go fishing one day.

“Here, it’s close to the sea and the weather is pretty good and the fish here are different, more plentiful.”

For the Barnicks, Hunter’s host family, Hunter’s stay in America has given them a glimpse of life in China. “We’ve had other people from other countries stay with us, but he’s definitely a lot different. He has definitely brought the Chinese culture to our house and taught us different things, about what he’s lived with and how he is now,” said freshman Martin Barnick.

Hunter’s presence has given students like Martin a new appreciation for the freedoms offered to Americans: “I’m glad that I live in America, I’m grateful, compared to the other countries I’ve heard about.”

In the long run, Hunter wants to make the most of his time here in the States.

“I want to get into a pretty good university – that is my family and both my expectations. I hope to live here and get used to American life. I think that’s pretty good – that’s another world for me.”