The beginning of the school year is full of transitions for students and families, perhaps for no one more than international students coming to the United States for the first time.
To ease that transition, Dartmouth College’s International Friendship Family Program matches undergraduate and graduate students from abroad with Upper Valley families in a cultural exchange. The students and families share occasional meals and outings, exchanges that help put students at ease and broaden the worldview of residents.
“Students definitely want to have an extra connection with the Upper Valley beyond just the school,” said Dartmouth College junior Herbert Chang, who is from Taiwan.
Chang, who is now the student coordinator for the program, first heard about it as an incoming freshman. He applied and was matched with the Olszewskis, from Norwich. The family has taken Chang skiing at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vt., and sailing on Mascoma Lake and invited him to the children’s middle school talent shows and concerts.
The program creates cross-cultural friendships and in doing so, it enriches the lives of students and families, Chang said.
The deadline to apply for this year was last Friday (Sept. 9), but because the program — which began about eight years ago — is always seeking families, those interested in participating can still apply, Chang said. The application can be found on the program’s website by visiting bit.ly/opalfriendship.
As of late August, 100 students had applied for the program this year. Participants reflect the diversity of Dartmouth’s student population and include students from Thailand, China, Pakistan, Great Britain, Nepal, Kenya and Turkey, Chang said.
To accommodate all of them, the program needs 30 more families to volunteer, he said.
Each relationship is different, Chang said. Some pairs get together more frequently than others.
Students are responsible for covering their own expenses for outings, which can shape the types of activities families and students share, said Canaan resident Biff Simpson, who has been a host to 16 students over the years. For example, one student from Kenya had limited resources, Simpson said. Outings with this student included a trip to Price Chopper, where Simpson and his wife, Michelle, showed the student how to sign up for a discount card.
The obligation for families is limited and doesn’t need to involve anything fancy, he said.
“It’s really just a matter of whatever you do, invite students along,” Simpson said.
Examples of other simple activities include stopping at yard sales, eating pizza and watching baseball, he said.
“It’s the little things that are really interesting,” he said.
During one visit with a student from China, Simpson asked what toppings the student would like on a pizza.
The student said that in China there are only three pizza topping options: cheese, pepperoni or meatball and if the choice is pepperoni, there isn’t any cheese. Simpson explained the wide array of pizza toppings available in the U.S. and the student’s “head exploded,” he said.
Chang and the Olszewski family have an interest in music in common. Chang went to Australia this summer to present a paper on digital music. He and a group of Dartmouth researchers have a patent pending for a synthesizer with an attachment for acoustic instruments. He plays the violin and piano. The dad in his host family, John Olszewski, plays guitar; a son Harry, 17, plays the flute and Alexander, 15, plays the bassoon, Eileen Olszewski said in an email. The family also includes Jack, who is 19.
“The program has been wonderful,” Eileen Olszewski said. “At first my boys were timid to join and to meet Herbert, and I think Herbert was timid to meet us, but that all melted away within an hour of knowing each other. He is now a beloved addition to our family.”
The Olszewskis invite Chang to dinner, for parties and outings as their schedules allow. The young Olszewskis enjoy playing basketball, soccer and video games with Chang, Eileen Olszewski said.
“He is a friend and role model for them, shares stories about Taiwan, has helped them with their homework, and is offering to help Harry with his college applications this fall,” she said. “We love talking to him, and his love for learning and exploring new things is contagious.”
The exchange is mutual. The family offers Chang insights about places to visit outside of Hanover, such as the Fairlee Drive-In, he said. More practically, the family has helped Chang navigate the health care system.
“The program provides (a) wonderful way to connect one-on-one with someone from another culture, and to form long lasting bonds,” Eileen Olszewski said. “I highly recommend it.”
Dartmouth College senior Ashley Manning said having a family to meet with off campus gave her a chance to break out from the campus bubble. Manning, whose father is from Ireland, grew up in Peru.
Manning, who spoke in a FaceTime interview from Peru, is matched with Chris and Leslie Rimmer, of Norwich, with whom she shares an interest in food. Many of their gatherings include preparing and sharing a meal, Manning said.
Their first get-together during Manning’s freshman year was a waffle breakfast at the Rimmers’ home, a tradition the Rimmers began when their children were young. Their children are now 28 and 25.
During the breakfast, Manning had her first taste of real maple syrup.
“I just lived off Aunt Jemima for like 18 years of my life,” she said, ruefully.
Other cooking and baking projects have included chicken fajitas, cookies, berry cobblers and galettes — things she might have trouble finding in the dining hall.
“It’s so nice to get homemade food,” she said.
In addition to eating together, Manning and the Rimmers also take walks with the Rimmers’ dog, Bowie, on occasion. The idea of going for a walk in the scenic countryside was foreign to Manning, who grew up in the bustling city of Lima, which has a population of nearly 10 million people.
“That’s something that I never in my life would have done before,” she said of the walks.
The International Friendship Family Program will host an initial meet and greet for this year’s matches on Sept. 27; a group potluck will follow in early October.
Nora Doyle-Burr can be reached at ndoyleburr@vnews.com or 603-727-3213.
