Written by Ada Aka

As every good thing has an end, this spring semester’s Connect. Learn. Grow Series had its final event last Thursday (03/21) at the International House. It was not like a regular workshop this time but was a rather interactive Mocktail Party!! We were able to apply and practice what we’ve learned throughout the semester about small talk, communication etiquette, traveling in NC, and constructing relationships. Do you know what was even better? We had native English speaker mentors to talk with us, comment, and answer questions! There were many topics that were discussed in the Mocktail Party such as travel, different countries, hobbies etc. as everyone enjoyed their hors d’oeuvres.

Getting to know different people that you wouldn’t normally be able to talk to was a very nice experience. For example, I loved talking to one of the community volunteers who said that she is friends with a very famous Turkish director from college. It feels good when people already know and like other people from your country ☺ I also met with a couple of sophomores and juniors that are starting a project to navigate international students by pairing them up with native mentors. If you’re interested, I suggest you to contact IHouse.

Finally, I would like to thank all of the International House directors, guest presenters of the workshops, our native volunteers, and all of our guests for attending these events and making them better every time! I enjoyed writing these blog posts very much, and I hope you were well informed and liked them as well!