As the new director of international recruitment at Lakeland College, I was disappointed to read the editorial in Issue 1 of the Mirror titled, “Communication Divide.” It is clear to me that international students are misunderstood, and there are a few things I thought I should clear up.
First, look around the cafeteria. Everyone, look around. What do you see? Who sits together? Are there tables filled with people that look the same racially? Athletic teams? Fraternities? Clubs? I am going out on a limb to say that most of us sit with people that we have something in common with whether it be a physical trait or similar interests. Why would the editors think that international students would be any different? I know when I am eating, it is difficult for me to eat while also translating what I want to say into another language and then also listen to multiple conversations in my non-native language and try to translate what is happening so that I can participate in the conversation.
Studying abroad is not easy. I remember when I was in college, I too judged those who sat together and spoke a language that I didn’t understand or care to learn. Everything changed for me, though, when I was the person studying abroad in a Spanish-speaking country. I arrived thinking that the people in my host country would want to spend time with me and would show me patience when I didn’t understand what was going on around me. What I found, is the same thing that happens here in the U.S. I found myself being drawn to people from the U.S. that spoke English. Why? It provided me comfort outside of the classroom.
My brain already hurt from being in a new country with all the classes, homestay anxiety, and translation after translation day after day. I used to dream in another language and wake up exhausted! Sometimes I needed to hear my native tongue just to feel at ease or relaxed. After studying abroad, I developed a great respect for those that do this not just for one semester, but for four years. How difficult it must be to be away from friends, family, and your culture for so long. I now understand how important and necessary it is for international students to still be able to speak in their native languages while also learning a new language in a new place.
So when I was an international student studying abroad, I expected the native students to welcome me to their lunch table. I would like to challenge each of us at Lakeland. In the same way the Mirror editors expect international students at Lakeland to approach them and practice their new found English language skills (that they have been practicing with their Conversation Partners), I think international students are waiting to be spoken to also by the U.S. students. Hospitality is culturally expected by most students. All of us are waiting for the other person to make the first move! Lakeland College students speak Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese, etc., and everyone to some extent speaks English. We are blessed to have a community with so much diversity. The responsibility to make friends that look different and speak a different language rests with each of us. Let’s be bold! Let’s take responsibility! Let’s learn a new language! Let’s travel! Let’s be uncomfortable! Let’s be a friend to someone new! Let’s sit today with an international student in the cafeteria!
Jennifer Alig
Director of International Recruitment