When I returned to FlU following my study abroad experience, I participated in the International Buddy Program. Having a "buddy" at my university in Seoul, South Korea was a tremendous help to not only navigate through South Korea, but to also navigate through being a foreign student. I knew firsthand how awkward and uneasy it is being at a foreign university in a foreign country, so I wanted to give this same help and friendship to a first-year student at FIU. 

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The first event IBP held was a speed-dating-esque meeting to meet with all the foreign students. I met numerous students that I instantly bonded with and shared interests with. I am normally very introverted, so this was definitely a situation of stepping of the box for me. Following the first meeting, we ranked the students we hoped to be paired with. 

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I was matched with a lovely student from India. We had met a few times on campus and had numerous conversations about our cultures and living/going to school in Miami. She shared stories about her experiences growing up in India and facts that I did not know previously. I appreciated our discussions about India's dialects and environmental issues that were previously occurring. 

 

I had also met two students from Vietnam, and although I was not their "buddy", I still talk to both of them quite often and enjoyed running into them on campus! I greatly enjoyed my time with IBP and I thank the program for allowing me to make new friends that I would have not made otherwise. I learned about new cultures through the view of another students experiences and I am inspired to continue making friends around the world.