Diversity Socializing

It was time to leave to American University and I could feel the nervousness arousing. Orientation day was almost coming, and I couldn’t stop asking myself if this experience would be as I had in mind. Would I make friends? How am I going to fit in? The answer to these questions was the only thing I could think of. When I arrived, on my first day of orientation, I saw people from all over the world talking to each other and exchanging numbers. And by the end, I just had two friends from my neighbor countries, Panama and Nicaragua.

American University (AU) is currently home to 1600 students from 140 foreign countries. International students make up a 13% of the student body population and the numbers keep further increasing. The diversity

The spaces for socializing is required to be relaxing and entertaining, were individuals take advantage to network and develop friendships. Socializing requires a comfort space created through similarities individual have and the interests they share for each other. Language is a crucial tool for socialization because the forms of expressing and utilization of words are better understood among native speakers. The vast amount of Latin American students permit the Latino/as from freely communicate in their own language. Thinking what to say every time you want to speak is tiring and it creates preference on the group you socialize with, which in this case it will be within the same community. Andres Rojas form Costa Rica explained, “I have a Chinese roommate and we get along, but sometimes when I want to talk about something that requires explaining I am unmotivated to speak by the fact that he will probably not understand or how hard I will be for me to fluently have a conversation and explain.” College students consider socializing a break from academic work and pressure, which justifies why Latin American students like to remain among native Spanish speakers who contribute to a more efficient and fluent

Latin American students are easily integrated by the sense of intimacy this sub-culture provides. As International students, there is insecurity of being socially integrated and making friendships can become a preoccupation, especially for first year students. Familismo provides the sense of inclusion students are looking for in an easy-going and quick way. Individuals don’t overcome challenges for socially integrating in American University like students from other parts of the world may do. Other international students overcome the challenge of making friends through a foreign language and searching for those friends, which is a slower and overwhelming process. Latin Students have an easy path into integrating due to the vast community that attracts and invites Latino/as to become a part. As Maria Isabel Aguayo from Puerto Rico explained, “In the first week of college nobody knew me and people that heard me speaking Spanish sometimes even stopped to speak and present themselves.” This advantage of familismo has developed what now could be called a “family” at