International students can take part in not only the Aggie culture, but also the U.S. culture as well through a program developed by the International Student Services.
"Dinner in a U.S. Home" is a program that allows international students to be paired up with hosts around Bryan-College Station for a traditional meal.
"The mission is to give international students the opportunity to be part of the A&M community and be part of the Bryan-College Station community at large. They of course come here, halfway across the world, to study at A&M, and our mission is to make them feel more a part of our community," said Katy Blackwood, assistant director for the program.
The target audiences are undergraduate and graduate international students who have just enrolled at Texas A&M or just arrived in the U.S.
"We're trying to get hosts to actually bring international students into their home so they can learn the experience of what it's like to eat dinner here and to create a cross cultural connection with a family, maybe more about the U.S., and exchange their experiences from another country to the people that are actually hosting them. We're trying to create dialogue between the two communities: the international community in Texas A&M, and their U.S. home," said Pablo Hernandez, international student adviser.
In order to become a part of the program, online applications are filled out through the student services Web site, and a match is made with a student and a host.
"If the student's application says they're allergic to something, we get specific to make sure both parties are comfortable. After we match them that's when we'll give them the information and the host will contact the students, or vice versa," Hernandez said.
The program is designed to give students another perspective of A&M besides academics. It is not only to educate international students on what life is like in the U.S., but to give a perspective to the hosts as well.
"I actually hosted an international student at my house not long ago," said Krista Tacey, director for the service. "It was a really enlightening experience for me because even in my line of work, working with international students all the time, I don't often get a chance to talk to them about their perceptions of what life is like in the United States in comparison to what life is like in their home countries."
The student service tries to recruit members from around the Bryan-College Station area to be hosts for these international students including the Chamber of Commerce, rotary clubs and local organizations.
"We do take into consideration when filling out all the forms the dietary restrictions that an international student may have. Some of them of course come from countries that have religious affiliations that don't permit them to have certain Texas meats, or meat at all. We try to educate the hosts as well and the students as far as what to expect from the experience," Blackwood said.
Participants are able to request a host to dine with every time, or be paired up with the same hosts.
"If they continue and create some type of relationship, and if they would like to continue, then no one is stopping them from creating that friendship. So it's up to them if they would like to continue. They can also request to go to a different dinner. There's multiple times that a person can do this. We're first trying to get people who haven't experienced this, and letting them experience it first," Hernandez said.
The program was piloted in the Spring 2009 semester and received positive feedback.
"It's been all positive. Everybody's had a great experience. They felt very welcome and some people have continued to talk to the hosts and the students," Hernandez said.
The application to become a host consists of questions about children, pets, smoking and if transportation would be available to those international students who don't have vehicles.
Future plans for the program include creating an orientation meeting at the beginning of the semester as a form of an icebreaker and then a reception at the end as a sort of feedback for the program.
"We hope that from the experience that the international student has a positive and rewarding experience and that they feel a part of the community," Blackwood said. "Hopefully it will foster some type of relationship between the students and the hosts so they can perhaps e-mail each other or perhaps do it again in the future."
To become a host for "Dinner in a U.S. Home" visit http://international.tamu.edu/ISS
