Hassani Jack's dorm room is well-decorated.

Pictures of family and friends sit next to his bed. Colorful posters line his walls. Books sit piled on his desk.

But subtler décor hints that Jack (freshman-physics and mathematics) is not an ordinary student.

A calendar, hanging on the back of his door, is marked with photos of lush tropical landscapes -- a vivid reminder of the life he left to come to State College.

Jack, who is from Trinidad, was one of nearly 150 international students who arrived in town about a week early to start their college careers this semester at Penn State.

Jack knows coming to a small town in rural Pennsylvania means more than just cold weather.

He keeps a desk drawer full of tickets to dance clubs that he went to in Trinidad. He knows he won't be able to add many to this collection in State College.

Jack said he will also miss the 18-and-over-to-drink policy.

"I'll miss the social life," he said. "But I know I'll be able to fit in here."

So far, days and nights have been taken up with orientation activities, placement tests and advising meetings, leaving him little time to explore the nightlife. But he is tossing around the idea of joining a fraternity and playing soccer to help him meet more people, he said.

And while Jack said he has already started to form his own group of friends at Penn State, other differences in social life are hard to grasp.

"At home, everybody knows everybody," he said. "If people don't know my name, they at least know my face or where I went to school."

Other aspects of life have been easier to get used to.

"Trinidad is very Americanized," he said. "Basically anything you can get in the U.S. you can get over there."

Jack comes from a suburb in the Caribbean country, which is slightly smaller than Delaware. While Penn State is a large school, he enjoys the idea of living in a small-town atmosphere, he said.

Moving to Pennsylvania also means he must be conscious about preserving his cultural heritage.

The large red, white and black flag that proudly hangs from the corner of his room is evidence his life in Trinidad will not be forgotten. But other aspects of his culture may be harder to hold on to.

While his native language is English, he often finds it hard to preserve his true Caribbean accent.

"Sometimes I have to change my pronunciation so people will understand me," he added.

Jack said his choice to come to the United States for school was a fairly easy one.

After graduating from high school, he worked as a customer service representative before finding out he wanted to take another step.

"I realized that I could stress myself out to make very little, or I could get an education," Jack said. "Then I could get a lot more money and a lot more satisfaction."

Noreen Jack, Hassani's mother, who came to State College with her son to help him move in, said she is upset to see her son leave, but is happy for his future.

"It will be hard not having him around," she said. "But I guess this is just part of him growing up."