Many people never get the chance to travel to another country and the ones that do usually get to travel to only one or two places in their lifetime. But what if I told you, you could experience the world without having to leave your own state? Every year thousands of students from all around the globe come to America to study and further their education. So what is stopping you from experiencing “the world” when these international students may be living in your dorm, in the same class or playing the same sport as you? There are so many reasons you should have a friend from across the globe, here are just a few:

1. You will realize the world is bigger than America.

Growing up in a small town is a blessing sometimes, but other times, it becomes all you know. There are so many opportunities to make friends with people around the world, but sometimes we don’t realize that there is a world outside of our little town. We get caught up in only knowing the people from our high school or church and we end up closing off those who aren’t a part of our small town. When you open up and make friends with someone from another part of the globe, your perspective changes so much!

2. You can try new foods.

“This is so not traditional (insert international food type)” is something you will most likely hear from your international friend as you sit at a restaurant claiming to be “traditional food.” Your international friend will then proceed to take you to the nearest store and buy real ingredients to make you a meal that they would cook back home. That’s not something you can experience every day! Having an international friend will help you learn many things about a different culture, one of those things being trying new foods that you often cannot get at your local “non-American” food restaurant.

3. You can learn a new language.

Another big reason to have an international friend is being able to learn some of their language. Learning a different language is one of the most beneficial things you can do to increase your opportunities in many areas of your life. Thanks to the international friends I have been able to meet, I can now say simple things like “My name is Amanda” and “How are you?” in several different languages! Not only can this give you great opportunities, it is also a pretty cool skill to have.

4. You may have travel opportunities.

Having an international friend would not only let you experience “the world” in your own state, there is also a chance that you can have the opportunity experience the world literally. Maybe your international friend will have the resources to be able to have you stay with them and experience their country for a summer. How cool would that be?

5. You get new perspectives for school projects.

There will come a time in almost every college student’s education where you will have to take an oral communications or a diversity class. These classes will give you projects where you will have to inform others of an important topic. Having the perspective of an international friend helps tremendously for many of these class projects. I gave my informative speech in my oral communications class on Chinese New Year. Thanks to my Asian friends, I was able to speak about how their families celebrate. One of them also gave me 红包, the “red pocket money” they receive on Chinese New Year, to use as a visual for my speech.

6. You can help them experience America.

Of the thousands of international students who come to study in America, very few of them actually set foot into an American home. That fact is very sad. Having an international friend will allow you to change that statistic. You do not have to have the gift of hospitality to invite your international friend over for dinner with your family. Put yourself in their shoes, if you were studying by yourself in a country with a completely different culture and language than your own, loneliness would definitely take its toll. Being a friend to an international student will change your life, but maybe it also will change theirs!

7. Most importantly, you can share the love of Christ!

Christ died for everyone. Not just Americans. Many other countries see America as a Christian nation. If you ever listen to the music, watch the popular movies, and read the No.1 magazines that are a product of American people, you will notice that the content of these types of entertainment is hardly agreeable with Christian morals and beliefs. This is the “Christianity” many international students think Americans take part in, and they do not want to be involved. We need people willing to make friends with internationals and show them the real love of Christ and the joy of a relationship with him. In Leviticus 19:34, God tells us this:

“You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”

Overall, making an international friend will change your life. I am so thankful for the opportunities I have had to make friends from all over the world! If you live in the Central Arkansas area, check out the International Friendship Organization (IFO) or get involved with activities that reach out to the international students on your college campus. Everyone needs an international friend!