BY QUITTERIE GOUNOT

In print | Published November 5, 2009

i20, the international students’ organization at Swarthmore, is currently running International Week. The aim of this week is to raise awareness of the significant international student population at Swarthmore and to open American students’ eyes to different perspectives and cultures.

The celebration of International Week started last Thursday with a Parlor Party where international and non-international students socialized, played board games and ate foreign treats and delicacies. i20 members discussed their favorite superheroes from their respective countries. i20 co-presidents Majandra Rodriguez ’12 and Min Sern Teh ’12 said that while this activity was mostly just for fun, they also thought that it served a greater purpose. “We didn’t just write about superheroes but about how they affected us,” Rodriguez said. “It made it more believable and personal because these are the superheroes that we grew up with.”

Other International Week events include an International Students Awareness Panel, which occurred yesterday, an International Fair, scheduled for today at 4 p.m. in the Parrish Parlor,, a “Globalicious”-themed Paces Party tomorrow and a “World Famous Cultural Show” on Sunday.

Most of these events have traditionally been a part of International Week. For example, the International Fair has become a hallmark of the week’s celebrations. It showcases different cultures, with many student organizations such as the South Asian group, Deshi and the Middle Eastern Cultural Society, MECS, hosting tables with food, music, handicrafts and interesting information about the countries and regions represented.

Similarly, the beloved “World Famous Cultural Show” on Sunday will feature international music and dance performances. The “Global-icious” Paces Party will allow i20 members to engage informally with the wider campus community and share their own diverse preferences in music.

Wednesday’s awareness panel, however, was a new event. It reflected the organizers’ desire to go beyond just cultural celebration and open up a deeper dialogue. Rodriguez said, “This year, we’re trying to talk about challenges stemming from different perspectives, not just things like art.” Teh said that a main purpose of the panel is to show that “different people come to Swarthmore with different perspectives and expectations.”

During this panel, international students shared their experiences and difficulties adapting to life at Swarthmore and in the United States. A central focus of the panel was academic challenges. Rodriguez and Teh explained that, whatever their origins, Swarthmore students were held to the same standards of written and spoken English in class. For non-native English speakers, these demands can be hard to meet.

Teh expressed gratitude for the Writing Associate program. He further reported that the language barrier restricts some students in their course choices. He said, “Some international students stick to science courses because papers are very tough for them to write — that doesn’t mean that they don’t have varied interests, like everyone else.”
Some other common challenges faced by international students have to do with currency, transportation and, most importantly, a difference in cultural references. “Although Swarthmore is not homogeneous and attracts very different people, there is a culture that most people relate to and causes [some] international students to feel a bit different,” Teh explained. “ It comes up when people discuss things like their favorite food, the last book they have read, what a politician said, what is on TV…”

However, Rodriguez added that “People from the U.S. are also from such different backgrounds … the distinction [between international students and non-international students] is not that clear. There is no big distance overall.”
Outside of International Week, i20’s main occupation is to organize International Orientation. The group also holds regular events, the main one being the weekly i20 dinner on Tuesdays at 6:30 in Sharples Room 4.

Teh said that “i20 is for people to meet, share and explore” and that the group is open to anyone from foreign citizens who have never lived in the U.S. before coming to Swarthmore to dual citizens and Americans who have lived or spent substantial time abroad. People with a general interest in the international community and diversity on campus are also welcome.

Teh described i20 as “a safe space for international students to know that there are others like them” and “the place where [he feels] most comfortable on campus.”

However, perhaps the following conclusion will resonate the most with international and domestic students alike. As Teh said, “in sharing and comparing our experiences, we learn so much more about the world.”

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