InTALKnational: Nice to Meet You!!!

This InTALKnational event not only provided a platform to promote communication between cultures, but also gave me an insight into the unique experiences and difficulties of international students in a United States university. The table I hosted had active discussions and I felt very lucky. There were four Chinese students, one Greek student, and one Italian student at my table and all of them are graduate students. All of them were willing to share their college lives and opinions. The Greek girl was very outspoken and her enthusiasm even motivated other students to think more and talk more on each other’s ideas. Fortunately, our table was always in a hot discussion.

There were many conversations across cultural barriers. The Greek girl shared the “European” idea of China which said that China is getting more and more powerful. The Italian girl and the Greek girl discussed a lot about European histories and similarities of cultures in their two countries. Because students at my table were from Asia and Europe, with two groups having more than one person, we can have conversations about different countries and they will not feel isolated because they have peers from similar cultures. I think it would be a good idea that in the next InTALKnational, we ensure at least 2 people from similar cultures are assigned at one table and each table has 2-3 cultures. Staying in a group with similar cultures will make international students feel more comfortable and it will also encourage them to speak out in an unfamiliar environment.

When my table did the gallery walk to discuss research questions, if some students had similar experiences, they would start talking to each other quickly and share the same feelings. As a result, during the whole gallery walk, my table divided into groups for each question automatically according to their experiences. The situation was not Chinese talking to Chinese or Europeans talking to Europeans. The group was not determined by cultures but by their experiences as a part of the international student community at UCSB. This is fascinating because we not only received responses for research questions, we also facilitated the connection between students from different cultures. Although they came from different countries, this kind of event and discussion will break the original cultural barriers and remind international students of their similar experiences and feelings, which creates a sense of belonging.

I was impressed by the fact that all the students at my table were graduate students. At first, I worried that there would be a gap in our communications because I was the only undergraduate. However, they were friendly and I learned a lot about graduate students' experiences in conversations. Graduate students have more social experiences, so their perspectives are deep and their reasonings are clear. For the next InTALKnational, graduate and undergraduate can be assigned to different tables because their experiences on campus and resources they needed are different. They will have more common topics and feel more comfortable when discussing with peers. Furthermore, our board can understand the difficulties and demands of each group more clearly when analyzing answers separately.

I really appreciate everyone at my table. Their opinions opened a gate for me to understand international students’ lives in UCSB deeply. I enjoyed the communication between cultures and warm conversations on that rainy night.