International Luncheon Meet

All the international students in the Divinity School and the Religion Department gathered for a fellowship lunch today. I was hoping that it would be an organizational meeting for an international students group but no one raised it. However, we had a great time just meeting new friends, having fellowship with each other and learning more from each other. Some of the students voiced out their concerns, problems and joys since we came in here. I was particularly touched by Beth's testimony on her struggle to reach out and help other international students without offending them. I understand how difficult it is to try to help someone without sounding so invasive and demeaning to the other person. I could also relate to Sam's story about delayed scholarships. It has always and is continuously happening to me. Like for me, I have been expecting since last month that my Methodist scholarship will arrive but have not even until now. So, basically students like us who rely on scholarship for our daily expenses have no money to buy food. I don't know how I am able to survive this situation for the last two months, I think only by God's grace. But I guess it was Judy's words that best say how international students feel alienated here. It also describes how lonely it could be for international students to be away from home. She said, "it is not in being by myself in my room that I feel lonely, actually that is where I find solace... but it is being amongst all the other students here in the school that i feel most alone."