Studying abroad in a foreign country is an amazing adventure that allows you to experience a new place and culture, but it is one that not all students get the chance to partake in. Due to time constraints, financial limitations, and a variety of other personal reasons, many students do not have the ability or means to leave their university for a significant amount of time to pursue their studies in another country. However, there are many other opportunities for students to experience new people and cultures right here at UCLA. This fall quarter, one such opportunity presented itself to me in a particularly unique way.
With a handful of my friends studying abroad this quarter, our apartment was open to subletters, and instead of subletting to other full-time UCLA students, we decided to open our apartment to three girls from Madrid studying abroad here. Living with students from another country has opened my eyes to an entirely different culture from the comfort of my home.
The cultural exchange that takes place within my own living room has granted me a once-in-a-lifetime experience and allowed me to encounter a new culture as well as share my own traditions. From the minute that my new roommates arrived, our apartment became not only our living space, but also a center of diverse experiences, languages, and traditions. Our daily interactions and routines have become a lesson in understanding and appreciating cultural differences.
For instance, one thing that I immediately noticed was the fact that our meal times are completely different. While I usually eat dinner around 7 or 8PM (which many people already find to be on the later side), my roommates prefer to make their dinner closer to 10 or 11PM, and they usually make elaborate meals that make my low-energy dinners (which are embarrassingly often Annie’s white cheddar mac and cheese) pale in comparison.
I don’t just get to witness cultural differences, however; I also get to learn about them directly from my roommates. We have enjoyed quite a few dinners where they have cooked us traditional Spanish meals and even shared card games and stories that are customary to their everyday lives in Madrid. We have also gotten to share our own experiences and traditions with them, introducing them both to UCLA and to Los Angeles and providing them with a network of friends and connections in their new community.
Also, as someone who has an EXTREMELY limited knowledge of the Spanish language, I have picked up a lot of useful terms and phrases since I have lived with my roommates. Although they are all completely fluent in English, they converse in Spanish with each other and always make sure to teach me any Spanish lingo that I need to fully comprehend the topics that they are discussing.
Most notably, living with students from another country has opened me to a completely different community at UCLA that I didn’t even really know existed. I often come home to find my apartment filled with students from Spain who are participating in this exchange program, allowing me to meet so many new people and friends. Although my roommates are only staying for one quarter, they have introduced me to other students studying abroad who are at UCLA for the whole year, establishing new connections and fostering friendships between us. I have even noticed that there are students who are studying abroad here in almost all of my classes, who I never would have had the same connection with if I didn’t live with students from their same program.
So, if you don’t get the chance to study abroad yourself, I urge you to live with people who are studying abroad here. You will not only gain a unique perspective on a new culture, but you will also hopefully make lasting connections and friendships that will carry beyond your time in college and extend beyond the borders of our campus. Even if you don’t have space in your apartment, UCLA is full of students from all across the world, so break out of your comfort zone and learn more about the unique cultures and traditions of your fellow students. Trust me, it will be extraordinarily rewarding!