Studying abroad is like starting a new life. You arrive at a
school far away from your home country, and at first you
don’t know anybody.
That’s what it felt like when I left Germany in the fall
to start my study-abroad year at UCLA. With my stay in California
now coming to an end, I can say that this experience has taught me
a lot. Not only have I profited academically, but the people I met
here have given me a much better picture of what life in America is
like.
I have learned to prefer In-N-Out over McDonald’s. I now
say “excuse me” or “sorry” at every
possible occasion ““ even when people bump into me in the
dining hall. I’ve gotten used to not being able to drink beer
in public, even though the warm weather would be perfect for
that.
I was also surprised to find out that almost everybody here can
trace their origins to a country outside of the United States,
which destroyed my concept of “The Americans” as a
homogenous group.
Along with things like these, I’ll take lots of memories
back home. But I’m confident that during my time here, I did
not only receive, but also gave.
I tried to give my friends a better view of what life in my
native Germany is like. I often talked to people about politics and
history, and I’m sure I brought a different perspective to
such discussions.
Here’s one thing that I want to suggest to domestic
students here at UCLA: Get involved with the large and diverse
international student population at this university.
Nationwide, UCLA ranks No. 9 for international student
enrollment. In the 2003-2004 academic year, 4,320 international
students walked the halls of this institution.
Most of the people I met here have been very friendly and have
shown interest in my home country. Still, I want to encourage all
domestic students to take advantage of the international variety
here.
For starters, you can just look around your classes and see if
there are any students who seem to have trouble with their English.
You can make their day by breaking the ice with a simple,
“Hey, where are you from?”
If you want to do a little more to deserve the title
“Citizen of the World,” the Dashew International Center
offers a number of opportunities for domestic students. You can aid
foreign students during their arrival at UCLA by volunteering for
the center’s orientation program, for one.
Trust me: Those poor, lost French, Japanese, Brazilian or
Chinese students will be forever thankful if you help them out a
little bit in picking a cell phone service, renting an apartment or
choosing a car dealership.
I remember my own orientation pretty well. It’s always
nice to have some professional people talk to you, but the American
students were the ones who gave us the inside scoop on life at
UCLA.
I talked to Marcelo Mitnik, the director of programs at the
International Center. He agreed that the center’s activities
can help bring international and domestic students together.
“It is more likely for someone to take the initiative to
actively interact with people from different countries, cultures,
or backgrounds if they are first given the opportunity to do so in
an organized program,” he said.
Another way to get in touch with foreign students at the center
is the International Connections Program. In this program, one or
more international students are matched with a domestic
“ambassador.” The ambassadors can show the campus to
the international students, take them out for a nice dinner, or
just stay home and watch movies with them.
Reyna Alorro, program coordinator at the International Center,
said, “Ambassadors really help students to get to know L.A.,
and also invite them to meet their other friends, which is
important for international students to build a social
network.”
And of course, the American students benefit from this
experience as well.
“A lot of them say they’re going to stay connected
to each other, even when the international student goes
home,” Alorro said. She added that some of the ambassadors go
on to visit their friends in their home countries.
Some of my friends have already threatened to visit me back in
Germany, and I’m more than happy to show them around.
It’s really easy to build an international web of
relationships at UCLA, and you never know when you might need
it.
Looking at the big picture, I’m even more convinced that
these types of activities can benefit society. The United States
has such an important role in the world today ““ it’s
fair to call it the only superpower left after the fall of the
Soviet Union. What the United States, its government, its military
and its citizens do has repercussions in all corners of the
world.
The symbolism of the alleged mistreatment of the Koran by
American soldiers has triggered fierce anti-American protests in
some Muslim nations. The final installment of the Star Wars saga
will rake in millions of dollars worldwide. No matter where you
look, the scope of U.S. influence is unrivaled.
But with this position comes the need for Americans to stay
informed about what’s going on in the world. In a country
that has notoriously little coverage of international events in the
mainstream media, that’s not such an easy task.
But you can’t sit on top of the world without knowing what
you’re sitting on.
Talking about the effects of intercultural communication, Mitnik
said, “Gaining a deep understanding of other cultures can be
a crucial factor in reducing the possibility of conflict.”
Domestic students at UCLA have a unique opportunity to work on
their country’s image and on international relations on a
one-on-one basis.
Look for us internationals on campus. We’re an interesting
bunch.
Starre is a third-year English student. E-mail him before he
goes back to Germany at astarre@media.ucla.edu.