One of the numerous clubs of Chabot College is the international club. The club was formed in 2004 with the aim of bringing students together to socialize and also educate themselves.

English is the main language used to communicate and its membership cuts across all registered students, members of the associated students of the college and newly arrived students.

Since the establishment of the international club, it has kept to its aim of providing an atmosphere worthy enough for socialisation. The club provides a social network for newly arrived  students to make friends and gain support from students who have already become acclimated to the American culture or are Americans. By holding events on the campus that highlight their cultures, it allows an exchange of cultural understanding.

According to the clubs adviser Doly Balangitao, the club officially organizes two large events per year as well as participate in the biannual club rash events. During this event a movie produced in the selected country is televised in the native language of the country with English subtitles for participants to have a feel of what the country is in pictures and what it has to offer in terms of arts and humanities, the dinner will include food from that country. Posters depicting facts about that country is also showcased at the event.

Since the club’s inception there have been some challenges but the clubs adviser Doly noted that ”for a club to be successful it requires strong leadership and inspiration through it club officers. There were few years where the club was dormant as there were  no students willing to serve as officers.

Students have been made aware that leadership skills held by a former club president helped a former student get into UC Berkley. This club has not been dormant since”. The club now has a web page to it credit .  This site displays information about the club and systematically tutor its visitors on how to join the club and also it has an option available for members to stay in touch. Bloggers can also blog on the web page of the club.

The webpage archives various pictures of the colorful activities they have had in the  past at the international movie nights,  such as; Mogol from Mongolia, Hotel Rwanda from Rwanda.

Members can also follow on twitter and also get in touch with the President YiMiao(email) on eeemmmail@gmail.com or  facebook.
Aside this the club has a news letter which features articles on various life challenging issues ,information on transfers, telephone numbers of the officers in charge of the international students program  and many others. The newsletter is also accessible on the internet.

Club members and executives meet regularly on Thursdays from noon to 1pm at building 800 room 856 to plan, discuss club activities as well as socialize.

Potential member can reach the club on the official Chabot College website-chabotcollege.edu/international/newsletter  or meet them in person in the building 800 room 856 every Thursday noon.

I found myself sitting amongst total strangers I had never met in my life before, yet I had to talk and interact with them.

In this place I found a common platform where people bring their culture to bear, The International Club of Chabot College.

The club is part of the campus setting and seeks to provide a platform for people to explore, learn and educate fellow students belonging to the diverse cultures of the world.

When The International Club meets it provides the opportunity for members to do all these in a relaxed social setting. It was this social gathering that I found myself in with many students from various cultures of the world.

The number was not extremely grand but at a glance it was a delightsome social gathering with Asians and Africans representing their cultures.

The absence of others did not deter the rest from engaging themselves in conversations. To my surprise, however, I happened to notice that students from the same cultures were sticking to themselves in groups.

I felt that was not on the path of exploring and learning about other cultures, recalling the advice of Dolly Balangitao, International Student Admissions Coordinator, to interact more with students who are familiar with other cultures in order to get a better understanding of their experience at Chabot College.

I kept enjoying the new social setting but felt uneasy. I stopped and stared at the situation right in front of me – groupings.

I could not say much but rather stayed focused on the purpose of the gathering.

After the meeting I stepped out with my new friends and we had one thing binding us now, the fact that we are strangers to the American culture.

But what about the absence of resident students that I had observed? Where does the cultural exchange begin?

We continued the conversation about our majors and had others of the club joining in, eventually parting for our various classes.

I realized this was all part of the experience of being a student in a culturally rich college. Students should not segregate themselves, especially not during club meetings.

Absent students should also put a stop to missing out on these experiences.

Audio Slideshow by Arpi Nakashian and Sean Jones