3 Characteristics of an Indirect Communicator
Based on: Sarah A. Lanier’s book Foreign to Familiar. McDougal Publishing: 2000. “I’ve been lonely since moving here (the U.S), and now I know why. When people in the office would ask me if I wanted to go to lunch, I would say ‘no’ to be polite, fully expecting them to ask me again. […]
Indian Friendship Team Loves in Culturally Relevant Ways
IFI seeks to offer cultural activities specific to the students it serves, whether Chinese, African, Middle Eastern, Indian, Latin, or a variety of others. For Indian and Nepalese students in Columbus, IFI has formed the IFI Indian Friendship team. This team is especially important because U.S. universities have seen an influx of Indian students compared […]
7 Tips for Watching Movies with International Friends
Have you been wanting to watch a movie with an international friend, but you’re unsure how to start? Learn from Larissa, a Dayton IFI Staff member, who has great tips about the best ways to watch movies with internationals! What are the benefits of watching movies with International Friends? Movies open up opportunities to talk […]
The Good Samaritan
Onwell arrived from Zimbabwe in 2019 to major in Business Administration. Before journeying to the US, Onwell contacted IFI for airport pickup. “I felt safe with IFI because I arrived at night, clueless, and they took care of me and provided me with everything I needed for the night.” While new in the US, Onwell […]
Yelling Turned to Rejoicing: A Family’s Healing
Emily* grew up listening to a lot of yelling in her family, mainly due to her brother’s gambling addiction. Even though Emily’s family loved each other, she could sense the division among them. After immigrating from Asia to the US with her parents, Emily developed severe depression and ended up moving to the Midwest for […]
Isolation Ignites Curiosity about God
After arriving in the US from Colombia, Maribel experienced several years of typical struggles as a newcomer. “The simple fact that everything was so new and different made the experience scary,” she shares. “I felt alone and missed my family.” Maribel’s father told her to read Psalm 91. “Every time I read it, I felt […]
A Family Welcome
“I really felt like I was another member of the family.” Leah, a Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering scholar from China, said this after staying with an IFI host family. Leah arrived in the US in August 2019, and although she lived with Chinese roommates, she felt increasingly lonely. This drove her to seek friends by joining […]
From a Thanksgiving Celebration to Giving Thanks
When Frank arrived in the US to pursue his masters in Public Administration and Politics, he immediately noticed cultural differences from his home in Ghana. “I saw the US was more individualistic and that one could be in an apartment and not know who their neighbors were,” he recalls. Besides his roommate, he really didn’t […]
Last Minute Temporary Housing Helps Many Students
This August, Cleveland was faced with the arrival of 800 international students within two weeks. Housing for these students reached capacity as apartment complexes told students that they weren’t ready yet. Staying in a hotel was cost-prohibitive for most students, forcing many to face homelessness. Vishal arrived from India, excited to begin pursuing a Master’s […]
Perspectives from a Young Volunteer
We recently caught up with Sarah, one of our most active and passionate participants, to learn from her what being a young volunteer with IFI looks like and why it’s important to her. We love her challenge to all volunteers to think rightly about our relationships with international friends and to learn from them as […]