 Sarah Sipayung is an international student from Indonesia. She is pursuing an undergraduate degree in Business Administration and is planning to thrive in the marketing field in the future. She loves to draw, play guitar, and make friends with people. She's part of the Korean American Christian Fellowship at Binghamton University and loves the fellowship there. Her life motto is "True Dreamers are not selfish; their ambitions are for lifting other people up."
Alexandra Small is an undergraduate student from Long Island, New York. She is majoring in psychology and planning to minor in environmental science because she would like to pursue the industrial organizational psychology path focusing on consulting. Apart from studying, she is part of a graduate research team in the School of Management, is in the environmental change club, and works as the student affairs assistant in Binghamton University's School of Pharmacy. She is always open to trying new things, and she enjoys cooking, listening to music, and watching TV.
WE ASKED...
1. Why did you originally sign up for a conversation partner?
Sarah: “I signed up looking for a friend since it is not that easy to find a friend as a transfer student because everyone has found their friend groups since freshman year. I thought a conversation partner would give me one friend that I could talk to more than once.”
Alexandra: “I saw it as a good opportunity to not only meet new people, but to get exposure to new cultures. Also the idea of being able to help students with their English was another incentive to be a part of this program.”
2.What kinds of topics did you discuss and what campus events did you do together?
Sarah: “We usually talked about what students do in America compared to my country Indonesia. While doing that we usually met in the dining hall to eat together, hiked to the nature preserve, painted together in an event, played UNO, etc.”
Alexandra: “We went to various campus events together such as Bob Ross paint night and open mic night at Appalachian dining hall.”
3.What is the best part of having a conversation partner to talk to?
Sarah: “It went as I hoped. I have friends and my friend became friends with other friends, and we are all friends! It was a perfect match based on our hobbies because Allie and I both like drawing and watching Anime.”
Alexandra: “I valued each time we spent time together getting to know each other, and it also gave me the opportunity to be introduced to other international students which has only added to the experience. One of the best parts of having a conversation partner is having someone to go to events and try new things with. I have also found that having someone from a diverse background can give an alternate perspective on different things which can be very valuable. ”
4. What did you learn about the world from your conversation partner?
Sarah: “One time she talked about a high school experience where all of her classmates dressed up as prisoners and shocked the teachers, and then how the student and teacher relationship worked. It was just so good to know what it is like to be a teenager in the United States.”
Alexandra: “I have been given better insight into the student life in other countries as well as the home life depending on the type of living community. I have also learned that it is not easy to transition to a different country and become immersed into a new culture.”
5. What advice do you have for students who are just starting out in the Con Pair program?
Sarah: “Make a real bond! Make it into a friendship, not an obligation of the program.”
Alexandra: “Don’t be afraid to ask questions and just be open minded about your partner’s background and culture. Use this opportunity to learn first-hand about your partner’s culture to compare the differences in your life and your own culture.”
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