Students Meet, Mingle At International Picnic

The Fly Club garden resembled a mini United Nations yesterday afternoon as nearly 30 undergraduates speaking in a myriad of foreign languages shared cheese and punch at the International Students Association party.

Students from places like Yugoslavia, Iceland, and Taiwan, met other undergraduates from 15 different countries, and talked about life at Harvard at the club's first meeting yesterday.

The students said that opportunities to meet other undergraduates from foreign countries smoothed their transition to college life at Harvard.

The club helps international students realize that they are not alone, Ellen K. Dyvik '87 said. When the Norway native joined the club, she "understood that, ya, I'm not the only one who had to go through that adjustment period," said Dyvik, who was president of the club last year.

During her freshman year, she said, she "went through a huge cultural shock" before she learned about the club.

Phillip G. von Stauffenberg '87 of Germany said he found it helpful to have someone to talk to about little things, "even things like how you dress up for a party."

The International Students Association, whichcounts natives of 40 different countries among itsmembers, serves primarily as a support group forundergraduates who live abroad. In addition tosponsoring weekly dinners, the club runs a bigbrother/big sister program, designed to make thecultural transition to American college lifeeasier for foreign freshmen.

Big Siblings

Last spring the club assigned all incominginternational freshman a big brother or sister,preferably from the same country or similarcultural backgrounds, said Dyvik '87. The bigsiblings contacted their freshman over the summer.

Many international students find American lifeconfusing, and the big brother/big sister programprovides them with someone to answer theirquestions, said Dyvik.

Last year the club sponsored a speaker onLebanon, and Dyvik said they will try to getanother speaker this year. The club traditionallyholds another garden party in May.

Current president Vesna Karaklajic '88, anAdams House resident, said she may try to organizemore get-togethers over the course of the schoolyear. However, they'll probably be held indoors,Karaklajic, a Yugoslavian, said shivering from thecold.

But not everyone attended the meeting solelyfor the international company. "This picnic hasthe best cheese around," said Shirley Lin '89, aTaiwan native