Chinese international students and their Baton Rouge host families will exchange cultures and perspectives for the next year.
The Chinese Students and Scholars Association at LSU and the LSU branch of International Student Friendship are sponsoring the exchange program, which asks families and students to meet once a month.
ISF is a national faith-based organization that coordinates international students with Americans in the Chicago community. Nick Calloway, a coordinator from the LSU branch, said he found out there was a large Chinese international student population at the University and met with the CSSA president to create the program.
Calloway said he hopes the program will help international students get a complete picture of American life before they return to China because not all international students have the chance to visit American homes.
Jichao Fang is a visiting professor who studies rice’s resistance to pests. Like Louisiana, rice is one of China’s main exports. Fang, who has a wife and 11-year-old son in China, is paired with the Kennedy family.
The Kennedys said they were surprised when Fang told them he used to be a professional ping pong player in 1999 and 2000 while researching in Japan.
“We are interested in learning about his culture,” Greg Kennedy said. “We want to bring him into our house and let him experience an American household.”
Calloway and Julia Jie Zhu, a volunteer with CSSA, matched 18 families from churches around the Baton Rouge community with 21 international students participating in the program.
“Chinese students filled out applications that asked their preferences for families, such as age range and children, and Nick [Calloway] matched them on common interests,” Jie Zhu said. “A lot of people responded – our students really like to share activities and culture.”
Calloway said he paired students and families based on common interests and hobbies.
“It’s a bit of matchmaking, but it’s fun,” he said.
Jie Zhu said she and Calloway hope the students and their host families will meet at least once a month for one academic year and go on short trips and share meals and holidays together. After the year is over, Jie Zhu and Calloway will collect feedback from the students and families about the program.
“This is the first time we’ve done it, but next year we will open it up to all international students,” Calloway said.
Contact Leslie Ziober at [email protected]