The Lessons Learned from International Students

I went to orientation for the conversation partners with the OPIE (Ohio Program of Intensive English) Program this evening, and it was quite an experience. The OU program pairs one or two international students with one OU student to meet once a week to talk about their cultures, and help non-native speakers perfect their English. The number of different countries represented was dizzying: anyone who was there met handsome Arab students from Saudi Arabia and Iran, and beautiful Chinese girls dressed up in heels for a night on the town. These students were all so incredibly friendly: all walking around introducing themselves with open faces and hearts, so unlike the comparative reserve of most students in the U.S. To its credit, much of the orientation, besides simply praising its ability to foster cross-cultural friendships (which it certainly did in plenty) but it also emphasized the fact that when dealing with such diverse groups, much misunderstanding and offense can and will take place. It gave strategies for working out these issues as they come up, and encouraged students to keep lines of communication open. At such big multicultural gatherings, the array of languages, clothes and cultures can seem a bit overwhelming. It can at times even feel like a sort of "tower of babble" effect, where everyone seems to be talking across and not to each other. It is interesting to note that this small OPIE group really does reflect larger trends of globalization and cross-national relationships. It is actually an incredible opportunity to meet so many different types of people: what a richer life we will all lead, and what a lot there is to learn from each other. It is just important to remember that with every great opportunity, there will also be challenges that we should soldier through to reap the rewards, and not expect all 'melting pots' to be some sort of euphoric and seamless "blending of cultures."