Three relative newcomers to Columbus who are part of rapidly growing population groups in the city say local efforts to make the community vibrant and welcoming are appreciated.
Yan Yan Lin, a salon owner, Walter Kansoriwula, a product validation engineer at Cummins, and Rebecca Zhu, a senior financial analyst at Cummins, all have lived in Columbus fewer than six years.
Lin, 35, is originally from China. She moved to Columbus in February 2013 to be with her husband, Peter Lustig, whom she met in Kunming, China, where he worked as an English teacher and she was a course consultant.
She is the owner of Studio 4 n Asia Style on North National Road.
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Lin said she has had a good experience living in Columbus, even though the first year was an adjustment. Moving to a far-smaller city took some getting used to.
“I’m happy that we made the decision to move back to live in his hometown with all the families close by. So now it’s just like home,” Lin said.
The salon owner said she enjoys the simple living of the community, the four seasons Hoosiers get to experience, less congested traffic than in China and having family nearby.
Lin said she thinks adjusting to the community is relatively easy.
“Nothing is different or difficult if you do your homework to learn to fit in. People are very open and nice here,” she said.
Zhu, 30, is originally from Shanghai, China, a city of about 25 million residents. She’s lived in Columbus a little over five years.
She first worked as a summer intern in 2012 at Cummins, and said she liked the company and life in Columbus. When Cummins offered Zhu a full-time position, she quickly accepted.
Living in Columbus has been comfortable, Zhu said, because the cost of living is reasonable compared to other Midwestern cities. Other positives include meeting residents who have come from all over the world, traffic jams are rare and parking isn’t a problem.
“I consider Columbus as my second hometown because hundreds of Chinese/Asians live here and we are like a big family,” Zhu said.
Columbus Chinese Association events such as the Chinese New Year Gala, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration allow her to catch up with friends and enjoy eating authentic Chinese food.
Zhu said that when she first lived in Columbus as an intern, she joked to a friend that she could imagine herself living in the city forever and raising a family.
“I think the statement still holds true today. I can feel that the city is always working on new ways to engage the community through special events like Ethnic Expo, Scottish Fest, Fiesta Latino, just to name a few,” she said.
While Zhu said she’s heard some newcomers said there is not much to do in Columbus, she thinks it depends on what one is looking for.
“We have beautiful parks, hiking trails, movie theaters, an ice arena, a wonderful library here,” she said.
In her spare time, Zhu said she is involved with organizations such as Columbus Young Professionals, Columbus Symphony Orchestra and Columbus Viewfinder Photography Club, which allows her to meet like-minded people and pursue interests and hobbies.
Kansoriwula, a 26-year-old originally from Ghana, has worked full time for Cummins since 2016. However, he first experienced the city as exchange student at Columbus East High School during the 2009-2010 school year.
He recalled learning about American culture and experiencing holidays in Indiana such as Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter.
“It was a very good experience and very eye-opening being immersed in the culture,” Kansoriwula said.
That experience influenced Kansoriwula’s decision to return to Columbus, he said.
He attended Ivy Tech in Columbus for two years, and then finished at Purdue University’s main campus in West Lafayette, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering technology.
A 2015 internship with Cummins eventually led to the full-time job offer. The decision to accept the job was easy because he already knew people in Columbus and understood the community’s culture, Kansoriwula said.
Kansoriwula said he likes that Columbus has a small-town feel, but said he is able to find plenty of things to do. His interests include playing soccer, mountain biking and hiking. He added that events such as Ethnic Expo are enjoyable, and that the community’s diversity is a good thing.
“I meet people from all over the world in Columbus and have an opportunity to experience other cultures,” he said.
