American Holidays

 

A fun way to learn about American culture is to join its traditions. The following ten holidays per year are proclaimed by the federal government. You can use internet to learn where these holidays come from?

 New Year's Day  January 1
 Martin Luther King Day  third Monday in January
 Presidents' Day  third Monday in February
 Memorial Day  last Monday in May
 Independence Day  July 4
 Labor Day  first Monday in September
 Columbus Day  second Monday in October
 Veterans' Day  second Monday in November
 Thanksgiving Day  fourth Thursday in November
 Christmas Day  December 25

Great American Independence

“Great American Independence…

As you may know, one of the hallmarks of U.S. culture is independence.

Here is some advice about that, written by non-U.S. students just like you!

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Culture Shock

Dear internationals! You are going to be on board for a totally NEW experience!


NEW
means ” Not previously experienced or encountered; Recently arrived or established in a place, position, or relationship “. You may already have expected that things will be different in the United States from your home country; however, are you prepared to deal with those changes and differences?

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Event Photos

If you’ve attending any ISI events, hopefully you’ll find a picture or two of yourself!  Let us know if you would like a particular photo removed for any reason, and we’ll take care of it.  Just email info@isivirginia.com

 

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Utilities: Getting Your Place Connected

Cell Phones, Electricity, Water, Heat, and more… Read More

ISI Staff

Steve Braintwain
email:
steve@isivirginia.com  
(434) 953-4455

Steve is campus director for ISI in Charlottesville.  He grew up in Virginia and graduated from UVA in Education. He has taught and been a principal in some of the surrounding schools. He joined ISI staff in 2005 and really enjoys working with students from all over the world and helping them whenever possible. He also likes traveling and hiking in the mountains. He cannot sing and does not play an instrument, but enjoys people who do! 

 

Patrick Flynn
http://uva.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1530660
patrick@isivirginia.com

Patrick studied Civil Engineering at UVA and has been on staff with International Students Inc since 1999.  Patrick grew up right here in Virginia and enjoys studying & performing the traditional music of his home state and is a member of the Charlottesville & University Symphony Orchestra.  He also loves being a dad!

 

 Patrick Flying Patrick with upright bass

 

Christy Lynn Flynn
cl@isivirginia.com
Christy-lynn (otherwise known as CL) married her cool husband in 2002.  She loves being the mom of four cool children!  CL grew up in Richmond, got her Bachelor’s in Communications at UVA, and then completed her Masters in Elementary Education, also at THE university (UVA).  After spending a year teaching English in Shanghai, she joined ISI staff, where she’s been for the last 18 years. 

CL 

Student Executive Board

Yingying Qian

Zihan Ni

Zhiwei Zhang

 

 Yuchen Xie

 

Rosie Rong

 


 

Can’t wait to meet friends from your country


The following link can be considered as a comprehensive lead to finding various country organisations.

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Health insurance

Briefly, The University of virginia's hard-waiver HEALTH INSURANCE program seeks to ensure that all international students have adequate health insurance coverage to avoid being under-insured while studying at the University. Read More

Money Issues


Bank Accounts
.  Set up savings and checking accounts at a bank for your money for safekeeping and to access services such as writing checks or using the Automated Teller Machine (ATM).  Consult the representatives at the bank regarding the services, fees, interest rates, terms, and limitations of the different kinds of accounts, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs.  Savings accounts are used for keeping larger amounts of money, as they usually earn more interest then checking accounts.  Checking accounts allow you to make payments in place of cash, and helps you keep track of how much money you have and where it goes.  Keep a record of every deposit and withdrawal of money from your account.  The bank should send you a monthly statement for your account.  You should check the activities recorded in the statement against your personal records, and report any discrepancies.

"Bounced" Check.  A term which means writing a check for more money than is in your checking account.  This may be a criminal offense, and is usually punished by at least a monetary fine.

ATM (Automated Teller Machine).  The ATM allows you to make banking transactions without going to the bank by using a card with a personal password.  There may be a charge for this service.  ATM machines are located at Newcomb Hall, and various locations around the university and in Charlottesville for you to make deposits or withdrawals of money.

Banks.  Branches conveniently located near UVA include:

  • Bank of America at Newcomb Hall, on the "Corner", and Barracks Road Shopping Center
  • Wachovia Bank at Barracks Road Shopping Center
  • University of Virginia Community Credit Union, UVA Hospital Branch, 222 Lee Street, and the Arlington Boulevard branch

Debit Card.  This card issued by your bank allows you to make cashless payments from your bank account.

Credit Cards.  Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express are widely accepted.  These credit cards are used for convenience to make purchases without paying cash.  You are billed for the total amount charged to the credit card(s) each month.  You should pay off the entire balance by the due date every month to avoid paying the high interest charge, and avoid significant credit card debt.  Businesses that take credit cards usually have their stickers displayed on storefronts or entrances.

Currency.  U.S. coins consist of the penny (1 cent), nickel (5 cents), dime (10 cents), quarter (25 cents), and golden dollar (100 cents).  U.S. dollar bills come in the following denominations: $1, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100.  The largest denomination that most people use is the $20 bill.  Most places will not accept bills larger than $20.