A Korean in a crowded stadium, cheering and ringing a cowbell – his first college football experience is a major step while studying abroad.
Korean Joonghyun Hwang, a junior business administration major, was shivering in the cold rain before the Jackson State game, but he saw a glow on nearby faces leaving him emotional, yet puzzled. Sweaty and tired, he tackled his confusion with this American game.
Hwang watched in awe as the festivities began.
“When the athletes came into the stadium, everyone screamed, and it made me almost cry,” he said. “I don’t know why it made me do that, but it touched me.”
Hwang, like most Korean students, has taken a nickname that is easier to pronounce for Americans – Cheetos.
He possesses a startling resemblance to Chester Cheetos while sporting black-rimmed glasses.
Walking in the Junction before the game left nearly as much of an impression with him and his friends as the game did.
“It was the first time to see a football game in my life, and I didn’t expect that sports is not just the game,” he said. “It was a kind of festival. [The Americans] really enjoyed the festival. They had tent, coke, party and drink.”
J.P. Shim, management and information systems professor – like Cheetos – came to the U.S. to study in 1978 at the University of Nebraska.
Shim enjoyed watching his first football game with American friends, learning the ins and outs of football in the same manner. However, his nationally-contending Huskers won more games at the time.
He said 83 Korean students currently attend MSU. Many of them exceed the minimum requirement of the Test of English as a Foreign Language.
Shim, director of the Global Leadership program, has monitored Korean students for the past 10 years, saying 25 percent have made all As.
However, speaking English as a second language is sometimes difficult for Koreans.
Shim said baseball, basketball and soccer are very popular in Korea, but football is a game Koreans approach with curiosity.
Alexis Powe, coordinator of student services in international education and MSU alumni, said although the international students have difficulty understanding football, they do understand one thing – the excitement.
Powe said whether it is tailgating or taking a picture with Bully, international students want to participate in the fun that goes along with MSU football.
“I’ve been to some of the games with our international students, and they are some of the biggest fans,” she said. “They wear all the maroon clothing, bring pom-poms and cowbells and get their faces painted.”
Senior electrical and computer engineering major Jae-Pyung “Jay” Hwang said football was bizarre at first.
The stops in the game confused him, but he understands football better now after Americans explained the rules, he said.
Powe said she suggested international students go to football games with Americans so the intimidation factor will be less imposing.
“They need an American student to be their ‘in’,” she said.
After the JSU game, some of Cheetos confusion was cleared.
“At first it seemed like fighting because everybody [crashed], so I didn’t understand why they [did] that. But later after understanding [rules] of it, I could feel it was a really exciting game,” Cheetos said.
Still a bit confused and curious, Cheetos hopes to attend future games and continue the learning process.
Junior civil engineering major Kyeyuel “Gary” Kim, also a first-time football spectator, said MSU football compared with the 2002 World Cup in Korea.
The games have given the Koreans a chance to experience a unique MSU tradition – the cowbell – which left a good impression on the foreigners, Gary said.
For halftime, Gary said the JSU Sonic Boom performance was unusual for Koreans, but it touched him.
“I really heard about the soul in Korea. I could feel the soul by watching the Jackson band,” he said.
Several home games have been plagued with bad weather and tough losses. It has negatively affected the opinions of some American students, but Korean students are more interested in the overall game-day experience than the win column.
Jay said the Houston game was the first time he clearly understood football dynamics, strategy and penalties.
Anthony Dixon provided a magical moment for Jay. As the bruising back carried defenders into the end zone after a 50-yard touchdown run last Saturday, Jay said he felt like he had become a member of the MSU fan base.
“Dixon, when he scored a touchdown, it was like ‘I touchdown,'” he said. “It was special for me because the game made me become a fan,” Jay said.
Before coming to the U.S., Jay did not want to watch football, but now jokes about it, saying he is in love with the game.
Embracing the hospitable of Mississippians, Cheetos, Gary and Jay have developed an attachment for more than just football. Their intimidation of American culture has turned into intrigue a result.
“When I came here first, I was afraid of the new people and culture,” he said. “The people at Mississippi State were really kind to me. Now, I have no problem living here.”