Who is ISF?
ISF is short for International Student Friendship. We are a community of internationals building friendships with Americans and with each other. ISF is connected with people from Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship. Please don't be concerned if you are not from a Christian background. The majority of ISF friends are not Christians and come from various parts of the world. We enjoy learning about American culture and beliefs.
Why should I become part of ISF?
Sure, you are getting a great education at UCLA. But what about life away from studying? Statistics tell us that a huge majority of internationals never get the opportunity to enter an American home. Although the United States is considered a Christian nation, many visitors never make an American Christian friend. We don't want this to happen to you. ISF is your opportunity to build meaningful and trustworthy friendships with other internationals and with Americans.
What are you doing?
Over the next weeks and months we will have many formal and informal opportunities for you to get connected and become part of a fun loving friendly community:
Monthly activity just for ISF, for example, sight-seeing in Los Angeles or California, or experiencing a traditional holiday.
Monthly activity together with Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship, for example, game nights, movie nights, costume parties, etc.
Small group discussion group. Life topics, current world events, ethical and philosophical ideas are discussed; please feel free to express your thoughts, while a leader will contribute a Biblical view to the discussion.
Conversation partners. Learn about American culture and the American way of life by being paired up with an English speaking student.
Many times when Chi Alpha people just meet for some fun, they also will invite their international friends.
When are things happening?
We always are available for some unofficial activities. Just contact us (see below). For the spring quarter, we are planning many new official activities.
Potluck and Movie Night
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Time: 6:30 pm at the URC.
We are having an international potluck and movie night. What is a potluck? A potluck is a meal where each guest brings a dish that is then shared by everybody. It is something we love to do here in the US! I'm sure this will be a fun experience for everybody! I hope you will come and bring a dish from your home country. Please let me know if you will be coming and what dish you would like to bring. If you do not have time to make a dish (or purchase something from a store) or you don't have access to a kitchen you are still welcome to join us. I'm sure we will have plenty of food. This event will be on Saturday, April 18th, at 6:30 pm at the University Religious Conference. The University Religious Conference (URC) is located at 900 Hilgard Ave. We will have dinner together and then a little bit later we will be showing the classic American movie Casablanca. This is consistently ranked as one of the greatest movies of all time and many people have never seen it including myself! This should be a great night with delicious food and an entertaining movie. We will also have games and other stuff available for people who are not interested in watching the movie. I'm very excited about this event and I hope you will all be there! Please let me know if you will be attending and if you will be able to bring food. You are welcome to invite your friends! Let me know if you have any questions.
Conversation Partners
Do you want to enhance your English conversation skills? Do you want to learn more about American culture and our way of life? Make new friends and practice conversational English with ISF's Conversation Partners Program. You will be paired up with an English speaking student or community member who will help you practice your English and adjust to the American way of life. Contact me for more info and to get signed up today!
How can I contact you?
Have a question about life in America, but you are embarrassed to ask? Don't be afraid to ask an American! Call us... Email us... Write us a letter... Use morse code...
Contact: Sara Benton
Phone: 310.528.7571
Email: isf@xabruins.org
Where can I find helpful information about living in America?
Here are some resources we found over time. Let us know if you know a great website.
- How to survive in the US: info on many practical, everyday topics.
