Buchmann says that international students are drawn together because of their shared experience arriving in the new environment.

“One of the reasons we stick together is because we have such different experiences than Americans,” she says.

Buchmann’s experience is particularly unique because her entire blocking group includes only international students.

“We didn’t realize what had happened until our House Master pointed it out to us,” she says.

“If internationals have something in common it’s that we’re not American so we want to learn about each other,” says Mahum Shabir ’11 from India.

Because of their common experiences and traditions, Americans share a popular culture of music, sports and other social aspects, says Shabir.

Among international students, “you don’t assume anything about each other,” she says. “You start off with a clean slate.”

Lacking that common ground, says Shabir, international students bond over learning about each others’ cultures.

“My closest buddies are all internationals. It wasn’t a conscious effort—it just happened,” says Omer Aftab ’11 from Pakistan.

BRANCHING OUT

Nieszporowski says, however, that he hopes to expose internationals students to the broader community earlier.

He says that Woodbridge will plan mixers “for the future” between FIP participants and other pre-orientation programs on campus.

Woodbridge is not reserved only for international students, says Nieszporowski, noting that the Society has a similar numbers of Americans and international members.

International students often bring their American friends, who are welcomed to join, to events hosted by Woodbridge, he says.

“I feel most internationals reach out to Americans,” he says.