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VOLUME LIX, NUMBER 25 FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2010 TUFTSDAILY.CON

Program helps international graduatestudents adapt to American life

BY EMILIA LUNADaily Editorial Board

Adjusting to the American collegiatelifestyle is difficult for any arriving stu-dent, but for some international gradu-ate students, the adjustment can bequite a challenge.

To help out these students, everyyear the International Center directsthe Intercultural Conversation Program,through which incoming internationalgraduate students are paired up withEnglish-speaking faculty, staff and stu-dents to help them practice English andadjust to life in the United States. For mostof these students, it is their first time com-ing to the United States and entering an

. American university setting.The program started in 1996 as a

response to the needs of internationalgraduate students. "The program is forstudents to get acculturated, to have anEnglish speaker help them with adjust-ing and asking day-to-day questions,"Jane Etish-Andrews, director of theInternational Center, said.

In order to participate, internationalgraduate students and the undergradu-ate English-speaking students fill out asurvey at the beginning of the year. "Wetry to pair them with someone that has

similar interests, and we have had verygood pairs that have become very goodfriends," Fletcher student Barbara BravoFlores, the program coordinator of theIntercultural Conversation Program, said.

The English-speaking students par-ticipate in the program because of dif-ferent motivations. The program is arequirement for the residents of theInternational House (I-House). "It is theircommunity service contribution," Etish-Andrews said. The International Centeralso recruits returning study abroad stu-dents for the program.

Sophomore and I-House resident KiaWidlo said that participating in this pro-gram was a rewarding experience.

"It is a program where I can meetsomeone that I probably wouldn't meetotherwise, and it is an exchange of cul-ture, understanding and views," she said.

. "It is a way to gain a friend and build arelationship that you otherwise mightnot be able to."

For sophomore Christina Aguirre, theprogram has gone beyond the weeklyone-hour meetings.

"[My partner] has become an oldersister to me," Aguirre said. "She is alwaysthere, and we have a true friendship. We

see INTERNATIONAL, page 3

I-Center Program helps internationalgrad; students settle into TuftsINTERNATIONALcontinued from page 1are always exchanging our cultures."

Aguirre got involved in the programthrough the student activities fair lastyear. After their successful pairing, sheand her partner decided to keep partici-pating this year.

"We still wanted to meet, and we decid-ed to still be a part of the program andthe events," Aguirre said. "I'm actuallysurprised more people don't do that."

Most of the graduate students whosign up for the program speak Asianlanguages. "They are very talented intheir subject fields, but they don't havethe conversational day-to-day English,"Etish-Andrews said.

Bravo Flores explains that through theprogram, there are significant improve-ments in the students' English skills.

"For mem, it's really important to feelmore comfortable speaking English," shesaid. "Probably in their classes they canspeak, but the program gives them a wayto improve their English without feeling apressure of being in the class."

"My oral English is not perfect, andthrough the program, Kia taught me alot," Feiting Cheng, a graduate studentwho has partnered with Widlo in the pro-gram, said. "[Now] I know more abouthow native young people use languagethrough cell phones or e-mail, which hashelped me make friends," she said.

.The conversational aspect is notthe only benefit of the program. "Theundergraduate students know what thelifestyle here is like, and they can give[international students] tips on whereto shop and where to socialize," Etish-Andrews said.

"It's very valuable for me to know hownative young people live in this country,so sometimes I ask Kia about what Ilearn or hear from American people,"Cheng said.

The program not only benefits gradu-ate foreign ...students,,-.-but. the Englishspeakers as well. "For the undergraduate,it gives them insight into graduate educa-tion, what it's like to come on your ownand what the person might be studying,"Etish-Andrews said.

Although the International Center ini-tially sets up the pairs, the functionalityof the program depends entirely on theparticipants. "The English speaker shouldstart the contact, because probably thenew student doesn't feel that comfort-able writing an e-mail or speaking on thephone," Brave Flores said. "They decidewhen to meet, and then an evaluation isdone every semester to see how muchthey are meeting."

Although the majority of the meet-

ings are organized by the pairs, theInternational Center tries to organizegroup gatherings throughout the year."One of the objectives of the program isto help the graduates feel more comfort-able in this new culture," Bravo Floressaid. "We have pumpkin carving, and aThanksgiving dinner organized by the[International Center], where we invite allthe people in the program because theydo not know the meaning of the holiday."

With the purpose of exchanging cul-tures equally, a Chinatown dinner wasplanned before winter break so that! theChinese graduate students could contrib-ute to the cultural exchange.

"I really liked to share Chinese foodwith Americans," Cheng said. "I was sur-prised that Kia liked it. It's the first time Iknow that some Chinese values or tradi-tions can be shared with somebody elseand that they can appreciate it."

Furthermore, Bravo Flores emphasizedthat the weekly meetings: do not have tobe a burden. "You don't need to have strictmeetings," she said. "We suggest (the pairs]to have lunch, shopping or go anywhere."

Exploring the Boston area and helpingthe graduate student get to know the cityis always helpful, according to graduatestudent Arash Ahmadzadegan, a par-ticipant in the program. "The first timewe went to downtown Boston, we wentto a shop because I wanted to try someshoes to find our my size in Americanstandard," Ahmadzadegan said. "WhenI tried one of them, [my partner] Laurensat down to tie it for me. It was so kindof her, and I didn't expect it, not in myculture I wouldn't have." .

This year, the International Center alsogranted the program participants freepasses for the Dining Around the Worldevents organized by Tufts Dining Services."It is another way that we try to get themtogether so they can experience differentcultures," Bravo said.. M a n y colleges and universities have

; similar programs for. international stu-dents, but the Tufts program is unique inthat the English speaker is not necessarilyalways American. •' . • . • " • • ' . • • . '

"You could have a hon-hauVe Englishspeaker paired with an incoming first-year graduate student who won't have thesame language skills as the undergradu-ate international student does," Etish-Andrews said. "It's not just an Americanthat they are placed with, but it's with agood English international speaker. It'sinteresting, and it works."

Currently, there are around 17 pairsmeeting regularly, .but Bravo said thatthere is more demand for English speak-ers, since many graduate students areinterested.