People

Since arriving here, I’ve met many people and slowly built meaningful friendships. Though I haven’t remembered every name, I made it my goal – inspired by advice from an older classmate – to meet at least one new person each day and learn their name. So far, that small goal has brought unexpected joy and connection. 

Another action I’ve taken was being proactive to communicate with people, especially those who have a similar cultural background to me. Some of my classmates went to school late after orientation of international students, so I led them walking around school and tried to introduce the campus. Thus, I built strong relationships with them. 

Another method I’ve used is quite tricky – making friends with people that are outgoing and meeting new friends with them. My roommate is a perfect example. As a junior, he already knows many people around school, and I was able to interact with more people by just following him. There was a Friday when we had a Pizza Party (If you don’t know what it is, refer to the “Event” page!) in an opening house near school, and I brought my handmade meal to share with people. It is him who encouraged me to give a speech in front of those people I’m not familiar with. After that, many of them came to find me and said they would pray for me. And I’m so grateful for that!