The Traveler

Issue date: 8/29/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Lael Simons From left to right: Hirono Sato, Mayuka Abe and Ayu Nakaoka linger at Hotz Hall Tuesday afternoon after class to discuss the Spring International conversation partner program. All three girls have applied to be involved with the program this semester.

The Conversation Partners and Friendship Families programs offered by Spring International and the Office of International Students and Scholars are helping international students find a home at UA.

Programs like Friendship Families provide international students the opportunity to form cultural connections with their new community, said Matthew Sokoloski, Outreach Assistant for the Office of International Students.

Friendship Families pair international students with local families, often within the university network, to provide a smooth transition and more enjoyable experience, Sokoloski said.

"A program like this provides a different, dynamic relationship that students may not be able to build otherwise," Sokoloski said. "It's a different experience than simply making friends in the dorms."

As is having a conversation partner, said Sarah Franklin, Administrative Assistant for Spring International.

"The Conversation Partners program provides for a cultural exchange between an international student and an American student, while also helping the international student with English," Franklin said.

The students have a casual meeting for at least an hour a week. They trading information on their different cultures, Franklin said.

These meetings give the visiting student a chance to practice English while making a campus connection, something Scott Cordell, UA junior and international relations major, thought was vital.

Cordell said the interaction he had with his most recent conversation partner went beyond "just meeting to talk."

"I would often go to his apartment, and he would cook for me," Cordell said. "I took he and his family to Devil's Den once - I even helped him get his cable set up."

"It's a rewarding experience," Cordell said. "It's making a new friend."

The connections within the Friendship Families program are also sometimes greater than the occasional meal, Sokoloski said.

Continued...

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