Foreign students embrace American families
services at IHCC.
“She usually takes me to movies when I am lonely,” Godakanda said, and often invites the student for lunch or dinner. “Last Monday she took me to lunch.” Godakanda said it’s comforting to have someone she can talk to when she can’t talk to her family.
Godakanda said she spends every holiday with Chickering. Christmas last year was a new experience for the Buddhist.
Godakanda enjoys spending time with Chickering’s 10-year-old daughter who shares stories about her school, which is very different from school in Sri Lanka. When the daughter needed an international food for a school event, Godakanda came to the rescue with a Sri Lankan dessert.
“I live 10,000 miles away from my family,” said Godakanda. “It is very important to have a person to talk to. She is like my mom. It’s kind of nice to know some people who care about me.”
The friendship program is available on both the Ottumwa and Centerville campuses, Albertson said, but “the majority of the students are on the Ottumwa campus.”
International Affairs is currently accepting applications from anyone who wants to be a host family. “It’s a great way to learn about another culture,” said Albertson, and a way to create lifelong friendships. Unlike a foreign exchange host family, families in this program are only asked to meet with students once a month. “They can get together more than that if they want to,” she said. “You can make it what you want to make it.”
Visit www.indianhills.edu/internationalfriendshipprogram for more information or email internation-als@indianhills.edu. Winona Whitaker Sep 16, 2016