Hu, 18, left his native Taiwan in November of 2002 to attend De Anza College. When De Anza notified him that it had found a host family for him, he thought he would stay with a Caucasian family and eat hamburgers every day. Instead, he lives with a Filipino family in Saratoga and instead of eating hamburgers, he eats green bean rice, a favorite dish of Filipino families, for dinner.

To his greater surprise, language is not even a big problem. Almost every local bank has Mandarin-speaking tellers and Chinese ATM systems. Shopping centers around such supermarkets as Ranch 99, Tien-Tien and Marina are like mini-Chinatowns.

At school, although he doesn't always understand his professors, he has little trouble communicating with his classmates. That's good and bad. It's nice to feel comfortable, but part of the reason to come to this country for international students is to improve their English.

"Many of my classmates are international students," Hu says. "Although my English is not good, they can still figure out what I mean because they know what I am going through."

Every year, hundreds of thousands of international students come to the United States to further their education. Last year, 582,996 international students came to the United States to attend colleges and universities—a record high number of foreign students, according to the Institute of International Education. About 2,000 international students go to De Anza every year for the school's high transfer rate and Cupertino's diversity.

"Sometimes I felt as if I were living in Taipei, where there are many foreigners," Hu says. "Cupertino is a true melting pot."

Staying in a foreign country is both exciting and challenging, he says.

"My friends back in Hong Kong think I am brave because I find housing by myself, cook by myself and pay bills by myself," says Elsa Wong, a second-year De Anza student. "Not living with my parents was tough in the beginning, but I enjoy my freedom."

Wong, 19, left Hong Kong in the summer of 2001 for the United States because her parents lost faith in Hong Kong's educational system. During her first month in the United States, her mother called her every day.

"My mother was not used to the fact that I was not home," Wong says. "She was relieved once she heard my voice and knew I was fine."

Her friend Jenny Tsang says she misses home most when she is alone at night. Tsang, 19, came to the United States from Hong Kong as an exchange student in 2000. She goes to De Anza now.

Tsang says, "I don't get homesick often, but one night I missed my parents so much and there was no money left on my telephone card. I cried and cried until I fell asleep."

Standing on their own feet also makes students appreciate their parents more.

"When I was in Taiwan, my mother took care of everything for me," Hu says. "I used to think washing clothes meant just throwing your clothes in the washing machine and I would have clean folded clothes in the closet. Here I learned how to use a washing machine and fold clothes."

These international students also learn to be resourceful.

Studying in the United States is expensive. At De Anza, an international student pays $110 per unit, while a student who is a permanent resident of the United States or an American citizen pays $7 per unit. Since many students take about 20 units per quarter, an international student needs at least $5,000 per quarter to survive.

To save money, Tsang takes lunch boxes and walks 30 minutes to school. Hu uses the cheapest residential plan of SBC, which costs him $7 per month.

"Supporting me to study here is a big financial burden for my parents," Hu says. "Although my mom asks me to eat better, I don't want to waste money."

Hu, who never felt he needed friends before, now goes to a Chinese church, the Home of Christ Church in Cupertino, for friendship and help. He learned about the church because De Anza held its international student orientation there.

"In Taiwan, I was content just to play on my computer all day long," Hu says. "But here you cannot survive without friends."

Although he doesn't believe in Christianity, Hu has joined the church's student Bible study group. Many of the group's 22 members are international students at De Anza. Facing similar challenges, they often encourage and help one another. The group's counselors, Bellie "Mom" Lo and May Hwang, also offer assistance whenever the students need them.

"International students often feel lonely and helpless," says Lo, who has been a counselor for the group since 1996. "We want them to feel the warmth of a family at church."

The church has become Hu's second home. When Hu needs a haircut, Bessy Chen, a Monta Vista student who immigrated to the United States two years ago, is his personal hair stylist. When he just couldn't take any more green bean rice, which was being served every night, Tsang and Wong, who belong to the same Bible study group, checked out the bulletin boards in front of Ranch 99 and walked from neighborhood to neighborhood to look for a new home for him.

"Thanks to them, I am moving at the end of the month," Hu says. "My future landlord is a Chinese chef. He said he would take some Chinese food home for me."

Because many church members graduated from schools in the University of California system, Hu, who used to not try hard at academics, now aspires to follow in the footsteps of the group's leader, Jerry Chen, a software engineer with a bachelor's degree in computer science from UC-Davis.

The frequent interaction among people from Hong Kong, Taiwan and China also breaks stereotypes.

"Hong Kong people don't like people from Taiwan and China and vice versa," Wong says. "But we are all considered Chinese here. We came to recognize that we have more similarities than differences."

In addition to American life, international students need to get used to American teaching styles.

Wong says she feels uncomfortable when her professors want to know her opinions.

"I am not accustomed to expressing my feelings," Wong says. "American teachers encourage students to ask questions, but I don't know how. Hong Kong's teaching style focuses on lectures. Students aren't expected to ask questions."

Wong was surprised when her teachers talked about sex and homosexuality in her sociology class.

"I went to a Catholic school in Hong Kong," Wong says. "We never talked about these things in class."

Wong studies hard in the hope to transfer to a good university. Once she finishes her education, she wants to return to Hong Kong.

"America broadens my mind and exposes me to various cultures," Wong says. "But Hong Kong is my home. I can be myself in Hong Kong."

However, many international students prefer to settle down in the United States eventually.

"I want to graduate from a good school, find a good job and support my younger sister to study here," Hu says. "America is a nice place. And Cupertino is my starting point."