Club helps break the culture barrier
by Elan Ronen
Issue date: 4/24/07 Section: News
Most of the students who filled Adria Cafe Friday night were born and raised thousands of miles from Newark.
The restaurant was abuzz with conversations of approximately 30 international students. Many are part of the university's Cosmopolitan Club, a student organization that meets every Friday night for coffee hour at the café located in the Newark Shopping Center.
Graduate student Ioannis Bourmpakis, who is originally from Greece, said Cosmo provides a haven for international students who are newcomers to the United States.
"The club is a good way to meet people, especially when you just arrived and you don't know anybody," Bourmpakis said.
He said when Bourmpakis arrived in the United States in September 2006, he had trouble with the little things, such as creating a bank account and finding a place to live, but also with the larger problems associated with cultural differences.
"After about three months you face a culture shock," Bourmpakis said. "You are used to a certain way of life."
Graduate student Matteo Maestri, a native of France, said life after his arrival in June 2006 was difficult because of the language barrier.
"I was totally alone," Maestri said. "I needed to talk to five people in order to do anything."
He said meeting people at Cosmo was easier than meeting people in the street or at a bar because members had common problems and shared similar thoughts.
In total, 1,028 students come from all over the world to receive an education at the university, according to statistics provided by the Office of Foreign Students and Scholars. They come from well-known countries such as China, India, South Korea and Venezuela, as well as lesser-known countries such as Malaysia, Bangladesh, Togo and Slovakia.
According to the university's institutional research and planning Web site, international students made up 0.6 percent of the undergraduate population in 2006. However, 31 percent of the graduate population was composed of international students or "non-resident aliens" who were able to attend the university only after receiving a visa.
The restaurant was abuzz with conversations of approximately 30 international students. Many are part of the university's Cosmopolitan Club, a student organization that meets every Friday night for coffee hour at the café located in the Newark Shopping Center.
Graduate student Ioannis Bourmpakis, who is originally from Greece, said Cosmo provides a haven for international students who are newcomers to the United States.
"The club is a good way to meet people, especially when you just arrived and you don't know anybody," Bourmpakis said.
He said when Bourmpakis arrived in the United States in September 2006, he had trouble with the little things, such as creating a bank account and finding a place to live, but also with the larger problems associated with cultural differences.
"After about three months you face a culture shock," Bourmpakis said. "You are used to a certain way of life."
Graduate student Matteo Maestri, a native of France, said life after his arrival in June 2006 was difficult because of the language barrier.
"I was totally alone," Maestri said. "I needed to talk to five people in order to do anything."
He said meeting people at Cosmo was easier than meeting people in the street or at a bar because members had common problems and shared similar thoughts.
In total, 1,028 students come from all over the world to receive an education at the university, according to statistics provided by the Office of Foreign Students and Scholars. They come from well-known countries such as China, India, South Korea and Venezuela, as well as lesser-known countries such as Malaysia, Bangladesh, Togo and Slovakia.
According to the university's institutional research and planning Web site, international students made up 0.6 percent of the undergraduate population in 2006. However, 31 percent of the graduate population was composed of international students or "non-resident aliens" who were able to attend the university only after receiving a visa.
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