Vania Revelina

Vania is originally from Indonesia and has been in the United States for three and a half years. Vania felt as if she was out of place back in Indonesia. She believes she is a rational, logical and straightforward person, but most Indonesians are not the same as her. She felt that she could not fully express herself, and she felt that people would disagree with her a lot. Now, Vania is much happier in the U.S. because she is able to fully express herself. She talks and socializes more, something even her family has noticed. At LMU, Vania hangs out with a lot of internationals students because she feels they do not judge what she does, and because of this, she feels more comfortable when she is with them. Vania also helps to inform and break the Indonesian stereotypes that some of her friends have heard from the media. Currently, Vania perceives herself as Indonesian by culture, but not by her mindset, and because of this, she has started to feel more Americanized than she ever had before.