Have you ever wanted to learn about what everyday life is like in Kazakhstan, Nepal or Uzbekistan?
Would you like to brush up on your Arabic, Portuguese or Spanish?
How about lessons in cooking typical Korean or Brazilian meals?
Here’s a suggestion: sign up for the international student friendship program at Wabash College and you could likely do all of these things.
In August, when President Scott Feller rang in the Class of 2027, there were 12 new international students among the freshman class.
Since 1986 the international students at Wabash have been able to participate in the Community Friends Program. The program matches individuals or couples living in Montgomery County with a Wabash international student.
Together the hosts and the student decide what form the support will take. Interaction varies in frequency and type of activities. Some families help their student with transportation to local stores, invite them for a family meal or take them on an outing to notable sites in Indiana. Others decide the best is an invitation to Thanksgiving dinner.
The interaction is fun and enriching for both sides of the relationship. The international student learns more about American culture by participating in the lives of the local family, and those families learn more about the country and culture of the international student. These relationships often continue even after the student graduates.
Judy Schmidt, who founded the program in 1986, still receives a Mother’s Day telephone call from the first Chinese student she hosted.
Sheila Evans, former Wabash College nurse, has visited several of her former international students in their home countries.
Amy Weir, Director of International Programs at Wabash, is looking forward to connecting the international students with host families. She hopes that previous host families will participate again this year but looks forward to new families joining the program.
If you would like to participate in this program and be paired with a Wabash international student, contact Nancy Bennett, program co-coordinator with Evans. She can be reached by email at bennettn71@gmail.com or by telephone or text at 765-376-4833. You can also speak to Bennett in person: she will be at a table during the Sept. 16 Celebration of Unity taking place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Pike Place in downtown Crawfordsville.
