Yes. I brought crayons and made my participants draw hand-Turkeys! I think my group is super artsy, and they have amazing little turkeys. I also LOVE the fact that one of them says "I am thankful for Chat Cafe. I [met] nice people!!". How cute.
We spent a majority of the time talking about different national holidays everyone experiences back home and how we feel about US holidays. Something I did not really expect was that we then transitioned into how religion is integrated (or not!) into our home countries. Without too much detail, we kind of covered how there seems to be a universal slide away from religion in Europe, Asia, and the US. (Clearly, the four of us is not a comprehensive sample, but it was something we felt was happening to matter where we were.)
In response to one of the suggested topics: Through your group's conversations, have you come to understand anything new or unexpected
about specific challenges faced by international students at the university?
The biggest issue my participants have verbalized often was the fact that they cannot find quality home-like food. Since eating is such a social event, I also see it as how they don't have access to a community of people who share their heritage with food. It's a minor problem to have-- they do say they like the food they've had though! But, I see how it can be an extreme bummer to not be able to enjoy home-like comforts for a solid year. I don't think the University has a solution for this. It just is what it is. :(
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ReplyDeleteSarah these drawings look great! I am especially fond of the last one hehe. I noticed that you talked about religion at one point which I found interesting. I tend to steer away from controversial topics like that given not all the students in my group are from the same country. I usually compare food culture and linguistic differences and that hasn't offended anyone thus far in my perspective. The last thing I want to cause unnecessary tension between my members.
ReplyDeleteAs for the home-cooked food issue, I am afraid I am in the same boat as they are. Even if one finds their local cuisine, they soon regret tasting the food because it was adapted to please the American palette. The only way me and other international students manage this dilemma is by making our own food. Sure it doesn't taste like how our mothers make it, but at least we make a conscious effort in seasoning our food well.