How to Be Friends with Foreign Students

  When I first came to college, one of my biggest dreams was to make a lot of foreign friends. Having conversations in other languages and encountering various cultures were dreams of campus life for me. How about you? I’m pretty sure that you want a similar thing since you are reading this article carefully. Many students, however, find it difficult to become friends with foreign students because most of them don’t know how. So, here are some ways to get closer to foreign students.

  First, you can participate in the events hosted by The International Exchange Headquarters. The International Headquarters is frequently visited by exchange students. Small, but effective, events such as Korean Classes or becoming a mentor to help them get used to school can be found on the website. As there are more students from abroad these days, a lot of help and participation from Korean students is needed. Especially when it comes to mentee and mentor programs, foreign students need to have one Korean student per person and there are a lot of school notices about this program. If you look carefully at the events which are held by The International Headquarters, you might get a good opportunity to build a relationship with foreign students.

  Another option is joining an English conversation club. However, just because it is an English club does not mean that they have many foreign student members. According to a survey in Chungnam University, however, numerous students from abroad usually join English conversation clubs so they can talk to someone without a language barrier or to make some friends. Each club has a different program and all of them are quite effective to get closer to foreign students. Why don’t you look around and find a club that fits you?

  Last, but not least, participate in DISG. DISG means Daejeon International Social Gathering Program. It is an event where foreigners living in Daejeon gather together to share and exchange their culture. It is easy to get along with foreign students as there are many people. The program is like a festival, so you can enjoy international food and drinks. The best thing about this program is that you can meet various students in one place. Since the main idea is “Exchanging Culture”, everyone feels free to talk about their culture and learn how to respect other cultures. The program is held once a year and is advertised on social media sites.

  As you can see, there are many ways to make a foreign student as a friend. You can also be  friends with a foreign student who takes the same class as you. The most important thing is to be kind and respectful of other cultures. When you open your mind first and show them your kindness, then they might like you back.