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Douglas College International Association builds a bridge between cultures

(lub gathers students
from different back-
grounds and brings
them together

By Glauce Fleury,
Contributor

espite being far from

family and friends,
international students
must deal with the chal-
lenge of adjusting to
their studies in a second
language and the differ-
ent cultures that compose
their new way of life.
To make the adjustment
easier, they can attend the
meetings of the Douglas
College International
Association (DCIA).

“We offer a comfort-
able environment for
people to speak about
their culture, and to
mentor their native
language,” explains the
president of the club, Eric
Ho. DCIA vice-president
Jordan McChesney adds,
“My overall hope is to
close the gap between

 

international and
domestic students.”

As a language-learner
himself (McChesney
studies Japanese) and an
English tutor, he under-
stands the challenges. “I
think it’s a shame we put
up barriers that keep us
from closing those gaps,”
he says. Their work is
noble. Ho is responsible
for the meetings in New
Westminster campus and
McChesney at David
Lam in Coquitlam.
Together, both campuses

66

gather about 35 students
from many countries,
such as Nigeria, Russia,
Japan, Brazil, Thailand,
Indonesia, China,
India, and Korea. That
means that in addi-
tion to English, many
languages are spoken in
this multicultural club.
Generally, the meet-
ings focus on language
exchange. “We learn
about other countries

and practice different

languages,” says Ho,

referring to DCIA as a

microcosm of Canada.

McChesney adds, “Every

student is guaranteed

to learn something

new every meeting,

but also have a chance

to make friends from

all over the world.”
Bolaji Fasasi, from

Nigeria, agrees. “]

am new here and I

wanted someone to

hang out.” The same

reasons motivated Polina

Sorokvashina, who
came over from Russia,
“The club is helpful to
meet people from dif-
ferent backgrounds.”
Jijin Xiao, from China,
had other goals when
he joined the DCIA. “1
wanted to improve my
English and learn new
languages.” The same
happened to Zainab
Al-Baqshi, from Saudi
Arabia. “I’m an ESL stu-

dent, so it’s good to prac-
tice English and improve
my communication
skills.” Aditya Madhavan
joined the club to contrib-
ute. “I have a background
in training people in
speaking, so I guess I can
help non-native English
speakers to have a more
clear communication.”
Both Ho and
McChesney were born in
Canada, while almost the
majority of the members
are non-Canadians. Is
that a rule? Surely not.

Students who attend DCIA meetings can improve their
confidence, knowledge, and make friends for life.

The club is open to
everybody, regardless of
age, religion, culture, or
language. “We are look-
ing for people who have
the ability to socialize
well, and understand
the importance of
interacting with other
cultures,” says Ho.

This is what moti-
vated the Canadian-born
Kate Kuhn. She joined
the club to better under-

—s ”

stand other cultures. “It’s
important to keep an
open mind and not stay
in our own little box,”
she says. As a native
English speaker, she acts
like a mentor. “It’s great
to help international
students feel comfort-
able in this transition. In
the end, we all learn.”
Students who attend
DCIA meetings can
improve their confidence,
knowledge, and make
friends for life. “I keep
coming to the meetings
because I can talk a
lot and meet friendly
people,” says Shiori
Osawa, from Japan.
Sometimes, students
teach. Sometimes, they
learn. What about giving
your own contribution?

DCIA meetings are

held every Wednesday
from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in

room 1814 at the New
Westminster campus and
in room B2050 at David
Lam. The club can also

be contacted via Facebook
(ttp://www.facebook.com|/
groups/163155723732434).