Having an international roommate can seem intimidating to many American students, but the experience of living with someone from a different culture is an experience to cherish.

Every semester, international students from around the world come to Ashland University to go to college. Some of these students are paired with an American roommate to help them better be exposed to American culture and language. Last semester, 10 Japanese students came to study English for a month at Ashland University, and were given American roommates.

Sara Amato, a junior at Ashland, was one of the students who shared a room with one of the ten Japanese students last semester.

“I was really nervous and I was expecting there to be a struggle in communicating through our different languages,” she said. “I also expected her to be very timid, and to have many cultural differences between us. However, I found that we had a lot in common.”

Having a roommate that does not speak English as a first language can cause some little problems, but overall they are here to learn just like everyone else.

Language barriers can be challenging, but most likely the international student is at Ashland studying English, so helping them can be fun.

Lauren Armstrong, a senior who was placed with a Japanese student last year, learned that having an international student to live with was a great experience.

“We just took the time to talk slowly and explain things,” she said. “There were plenty of nights that we stayed up all night talking about boys, hello kitty, and food. She was amazing.”

While living with an international student, one gets to learn about his or her roommates’ culture.

“I loved learning about a different culture and learning about what is happening on the other side of the world,” Amato said. “It was very eye opening on a global range, and reminded me how important other cultures are.”

Learning about other cultures can also make one more open-minded, and more aware of the world around them.

“She taught me so much, not just about her culture and herself, but she taught me to be more open to new things, and new people despite the great differences that can be present,” Armstrong said.

College is all about learning and experiencing new things, so having an internal student as a roommate is something to look forward to, and is an experience to embrace.

Mohammed Alsudayri, an international student from Saudi Arabia, said having an American roommate is important for international students as well.

“For someone who is new to America, having an American roommate can help them adjust, make new friends, and practice their English,” he said. “We would have the same issues two American roommates would have – adjusting to each others’ schedule, and other thing like that.”

Living with an international student is incredibly rewarding. It will create a memory that will fast forever, and maybe even a lifetime friend.

“Take advantage of this and enjoy every second. I miss my roommate so much, but now we stay in contact through Facebook,” Amato said.