I think one challenge faced by international students is getting out and exploring Ann Arbor. I remember being a freshman and being nervous to venture out into downtown, and this was without an added language barrier. A lot of the people in my Chat Café groups know about common hangouts for the international student community, such as Sweeting and a Chinese (I think) karaoke bar near North Campus. However, a lot of them have been very excited to explore coffee shops, museums, and other parts of Ann Arbor, and said they may not have tried a lot of the places one their own. Holding Chat Café in different places is one way to address this challenge. The university could also address this by creating a sort of handbook/ guide to Ann Arbor, using input from current students. I think this would be useful to all new students at the university, not just international students. However, to make it particularly useful to the international students, it would be helpful if this guidebook included things like menus, why people go to that place, (studying, casual dinner, fancy dinner, shopping, etc...), and insider tips from other students. Even things like CVS and Walgreens could be included - some of my students didn't know what was sold at these stores! Something we take for granted was a huge revelation for many of them. This would also be different from a guide aimed at tourists in Ann Arbor. It would be targeted to include popular and/ or essential places for students, and while it's cool to go to the "touristy" attractions, the guide I have in mind would be more comprehensive and functional for the day to day life of a student.
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