Student Union
Saying Goodbye to My Fargo
– American actor William H. Macy.
Macy was talking about his leading role in the Oscar-winning comedy/thriller Fargo, which takes place in the Midwest states of North Dakota and Minnesota.
Fargo, the biggest city in North Dakota and the film’s namesake, was the very place where I studied as an international exchange student for the past year. I used to complain about it being remote and boring, and it is, but now that I’m back at home, watching the movie Fargo makes me nostalgic for the city’s incomparable goodness.
If you’ve never seen the movie, it’s pretty dark, and often disturbing. But it also shows the love for this region by the filmmakers (Joel and Ethan Coen, who grew up in Minnesota) and the actors. Both William H. Macy and I know the real Fargo that ever brightened our heart.
In this last post for the Student Union, I’d like to share some pictures with my dedicated audience to present my Fargo – a marvelous land that most travelers to America will never know.
Landscape
Fargo, like other parts of Midwest, has very huge plains all the way down to the skyline. And in the winter, these plains turn into sheets of snow and ice.
I totally understand how Fargo writer/director Joel Coen described growing up in Minnesota. In a documentary about the making of the film, he said, “The real, strong memories I have from my childhood is my mother kicking me out of the house when it was 20 degrees below zero and then expecting me to horse around in this sort of blank, white landscape.”
As a matter of fact, numerous lakes on the border of North Dakota and Minnesota freeze completely, and you can walk, or even drive on them! These lakes, for sure, are part of this white landscape!
Nice People
Another thing that the actors and directors of Fargo talked about when they discussed making the movie was how nice the people are in this part of the country.
“It is called ‘Minnesota Nice.’ It is very true that it’s a very polite culture.” Joel Coen said. Macy agreed, “‘Minnesota Nice’ is that politeness that is bred in from childhood.”
I feel completely the same way. I’ve already described in previous posts the great generosity of my friend Maia Randklev and her parents and relatives. They accepted me as part of their family for their Christmas celebrations, and even took me skiing a couple of times.
End
Taking the plane to Los Angeles earlier this year for a spring break adventure, I didn’t expect I would feel right back home when I returned to Fargo. Nor did I imagine when I boarded an eastbound train to Washington, D.C. in June for my internship that Fargo would in my heart.
But when I came across a buffalo, the symbol of North Dakota, in the National Museum of the American Indian in D.C., I burst into tears. I kept missing Fargo all through my travels in D.C., Boston, New York City, and now all the way in China! The city is already part of me!
An American professor once told me about her experience as a young woman when she spent time in Turkey. She recalled that she missed home when being in Turkey but, similar to me, she turned to miss Turkey very much when resettling down in America.
It might be that people tend to miss something when they are far away from it, but I prefer to think in another way: Turkey and Fargo are the places where we spent the most formative time of our life. They have been permanent landmarks of our greatest enthusiasm that should be treasured forever.
So it’s time to end up this article? Oh, no, I should have kept in mind that the article this time would be the one to end my one-year exploration of writing with VOA’s Student Union. But I hope I will come back and share some of my experiences back in China later this summer. Anyway, here at this temporary transit station, please allow me to give my most sincere thanks to the Student Union, the most splendid stage and the most dedicated friend I’ve ever met. Without her hand-in-hand guidance and step-by-step encouragement, I could never go this far. Thank you, my dearest Union and dearest boss Jessica <3
[See all of Dandan's previous posts about studying in North Dakota and life as a Chinese student in America]
See all News Updates of the Day
Greek Parliament Approves Branches of Foreign Universities
The Greek parliament voted to allow foreign universities to establish and operate branch campuses in the country.
According to U.S. News & World Report, the move was made to encourage Greek students to stay in the country for advanced studies, instead of going abroad for an education. (March 2024)
Virginia Bans Legacy Admissions
The state of Virginia has banned legacy admissions to public colleges and universities.
The New York Times reports the state has outlawed the practice of giving preferential admissions status to students based on connections to alumni and donors. (March 2024)
New Texas Law Prohibits Public Colleges, Universities From Having DEI Offices
A new Texas law prohibits public universities from having special programs supporting minority and LGBTQ students. Critics say these diversity, equity and inclusion programs are discriminatory and divisive. But many students say they are needed. Deana Mitchell has the story from the Texas capital.
Here’s What It Feels Like to Find Home Between Two Cultures
Cynthia Jia, a student at the University of Virginia, writes about how Chinese literature helped reconcile her to being part of two cultures. Read her story in The Cavalier Daily. (February 2024)
FAFSA Delays Prompt California to Extend Deadline for Financial Aid Applications
The California Legislature on Thursday voted to give prospective college students more time to apply for two of the state's largest financial aid programs after a glitch in the federal government's application system threatened to block up to 100,000 people from getting help.
California had already extended the deadline for its financial aid programs from March 2 to April 2. On Thursday, the state Senate gave final approval to a bill that would extend it again until May 2. The bill now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom.
"Clearly, our students need our help," Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes, a Democrat from Riverside who authored the bill, told lawmakers during a public hearing earlier this week.
California has multiple programs to help people pay for college. The biggest is the Cal Grant program, which gives money to people who meet certain income requirements. The state also has a Middle Class Scholarship for people with slightly higher incomes.
Students can apply for these state aid programs only if they first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly known as FAFSA.
This year, a computer glitch prevented parents from filling out the form if they did not have a Social Security number. That meant many students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents but whose parents are not were blocked from completing the form and thus could not apply for California's aid programs.
California has a large population of adults who are living in the country without legal permission. The California Student Aid Commission, the state agency in charge of California's financial aid programs, estimates as many as 100,000 students could be affected by this glitch.
The U.S. Department of Education says it fixed the problem last week, but those families are now a step behind. Democrats in Congress raised alarms last month, noting that the delay could particularly hurt students in states where financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, including Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Oregon and Texas.
Advocates fear that the chaos of this year's process could deter students from going to college at all, especially those for whom finances are a key part of the decision.
The computer glitch is just one part of larger problems affecting FAFSA.
The notoriously time-consuming form was overhauled in 2020 through a bipartisan bill in Congress. It promised to simplify the form, going from 100 questions to fewer than 40, and it also changed the underlying formula for student aid, promising to expand it to more low-income students.
But the update has been marred by delays, leaving families across the country in limbo as they figure out how much college will cost.
The form is typically available to fill out in October, but the Education Department didn't have it ready until late December. Even then, the agency wasn't ready to begin processing the forms and sending them to states and colleges, which only started to happen this month.
The problems appear to have already reduced California's application numbers. Through March 8, the number of California students who had completed FAFSA was 43% lower than it was at the same time last year.
"The data most concerning me seems to suggest that these drops are more acute at the schools that serve low-income students or large populations of students of color," Jake Brymner, deputy chief of policy and public affairs for the California Student Aid Commission, told lawmakers in a public hearing earlier this week.
The issue has caused problems for colleges and universities, too. The University of California and California State University systems both delayed their admissions deadlines because so many prospective students were having trouble with FAFSA.