College can create situations in which you never had the chance to partake in. Sometimes you will join organizations on campus, or you can interact with people from different cultures. I had a roommate from Brazil for a semester of my freshman year. If you asked me a year prior, I would have never imagined of this happening. More people should be open to living with an international student, and more willing to learn about new cultures without leaving America.
When you live with someone of another culture,you learn that the world does not revolve around the United States. The outside world have their own issues, and America cannot intervene with every issue in the world, nor should we. Brazil has a history of corrupt leaders and government structure. Sometimes new leaderships do not easily pass from one to another. I never read or heard much on South American Politics until we became roommates. Anderson made me realize that Americans have it easy compared to most of the world. During this semester, he showed me the favelas and gave me a more depth explanation on what they were with why they are overlooked. Drug lords are powerful in certain parts of Brazil. The Brazilian government often partake raids with these gangs. A lot of crime is related to the favelas, so tourists should stay away from these areas within cities. He showed me videos of these raids, and they were violent with the country's military involved.
An example of a favela in Caracas, Brazil.
You will learn a totally new culture with new beliefs without leaving your home country. A new cuisine will possibly be introduced to you, with someone who knows how to personally cook the dishes of their home. The potential roommate from a different culture, could teach their roommate how to cook the foods in a proper way. Anderson had me try different Brazilian foods, and he taught me how to create some of them. After you are no longer roommates, you can potentially try to recreate the food.
When a person lives with somebody of another culture, the cultures can clash between them. This can help a person grow and realize that everyone is different. What you think is normal can be very serial to them and vice versa. We had moments where we did not understand what each other was doing, but we accepted this. A language barrier can and will happen, but you will figure out ways to facilitate your understandings of each other. His English excelled a lot while we lived together, and I learned some Portuguese form the exposure to a lot of his Skype calls to his mother and fiance. Many times I had to explain things that I would not have thought to explain to anyone. It was often American slang, but occasionally I would need to tell him why what he did was not a normal thing to do in America. It makes you realize that maybe we are doing something really weird and to reevaluate our customs from an outsider opinion.
Having an international roommate is an amazing experience that I recommend to anyone who is willing to live with another culture. Sometimes you will be disturbed by the clashing cultures and foods, but it is worth it in the end. I had moments where I was really confused. I had so many questions, but I learned so much about a different culture. You create a connection that crosses the globe, and memories are made. Friendships are formed, and hopefully you stay connected for years to come. The next semester will be strange not seeing him or her on campus because they could be thousands of miles away, living their lives like you are.
