#4 Hang out with-and get to know-an international student

Okay we're getting a little off track from the whole "101 Places Every College Student Must See" but that's okay because I've decided to change it to "101 Places and Things Every College Student Must See and Do". Cool beans.

The subject of this entry all began when I decided I wanted some extra credit in Anthropology 1000. (With a promising reward of 60 points, who could say no?) My professor told us that all we had to do was became an Intensive English Program conversation partner, which entails meeting with an international student learning English once a week so they can practice the language, and write a paper about our experience at the end of the semester. Now, points aside, I really did like the idea of getting to know a student who would be so different than myself. Two of my best friends from high school immigrated here and are still not American citizens yet, and they'll be the first to admit that I'm very curious when it comes to their cultural background and life prior to living in the U.S.

I love learning about other countries. I love meeting new people. I want to be a travel writer, so heck why not try it? Thank god I did because joining this program has probably been one of the best decisions I've made during college thus far.

Danhee is the IEP student from South Korea whom I meet with once a week, and lately I've started to refer to her as my "friend" in conversations with others instead of my "partner". After knowing each other for just two months, I have gotten to know so much about her and Korean culture that I will be forever proud of myself for making the decision to be a part of this program. Danhee and I have shared stories, Facebook photos, and even created memories of our own, such as making a tutu last minute for my Halloween costume... three hours before I was supposed to be ready to go. She has proved to me that you don't have to always understand people perfectly to know how they feel, or to get to know them as an individual.

While we've had a few (expected) moments of confusion, today marked the first time I sat down across from Danhee and listened to her speak about her culture without having to worry about what I was going to ask her next. I sat back and heard her explain the differences between American and Korean fashion for almost an hour without having to jump start the conversation at all because she was so excited to be talking about her home that she didn't get caught up in translation. It was the most proper English I had ever heard her speak-she even corrected herself and said "my brother and I" instead of "my brother and me"-and I felt a warm sense of pride in knowing that I had been a part of her improvement.

We come to college to learn. To grow as individuals, and learn what it really means to be independent.
For me, being independent means getting away from any preconceived notions you may have had about certain people during your childhood, and taking the time to test them out and really see what people are like. I think that there's a great deal of students at this school who come from towns where there is little to no diversity, and technically my suburb could fall under that category. But not everyone who comes from this background takes the time to immerse themselves in the diverse culture of their college campus when they have the opportunity, and I challenge all college students, regardless of their background, to put previous mindsets aside and get to know the unique group of students around them.