4 Events to Hold With Your Study Abroad Roommates

By Christine Ascher on August 22, 2017

Studying abroad can be an isolating experience; after all, you’re far away from family and friends, and you’re in a new country where the customs and possibly even the language are unfamiliar. The best way to combat the homesickness that often sets in is by forming new connections with those who are going through the same experience.

For this reason, bonding with your study abroad roommates can help you a good deal when you’re adjusting to a new country. To get to know everyone and to encourage some new friendships to form — and to explore your host country along the way — here are some fun events that you can hold while you’re abroad.

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1. A “Get-to-know-you” gathering

When you first move into your study abroad housing, it’s a good idea to hold an event with all of your roommates where you can meet each other and discuss everyone’s hopes and worries for study abroad. Those first few days can be the hardest when you’re in a new country, so getting to know new friends right away and ensuring that your roommates become familiar and friendly faces will help in your adjustment. It will also calm your own fears if you can share them with others; in all likelihood, they’re feeling the same way.

You can also take turns discussing what each person knows about your host country, in particular with regards to common customs and social behaviors. Every country has its own social code, and the more you know about it, the less your chances of enduring awkward interactions. By giving everyone the chance to swap their own discoveries about the local culture and customs, you will all be able to increase your knowledge of the country and your understanding of how to interact with the locals. 

2. Conversation sessions

If you’re in a country where the official language is something other than English, holding conversation sessions is a great way to get to know your roommates while also practicing your language skills. Set a time limit for your conversations — half an hour is usually a good amount of time, as it allows you to practice your skills without becoming too exhausted — and try to focus on asking questions that allow you to get to know each other.

Take time to correct the mistakes that your roommates make, but remember not to take yourself too seriously in these conversations. Even if your language skills are only at a beginner’s level, this will still give you a chance to practice that will be more fun than in the classroom. It also has the added benefit of making you more comfortable in your day-to-day interactions with locals.

3. Restaurant explorations

To bond with your study abroad roommates and to get to know a very important aspect of your host country — the food — try planning some excursions to different types of restaurants. If you want to explore the local cuisine, see if your roommates are open to coming with. You can either look up good recommendations ahead of time or, if you’re more adventurous, go exploring and see if you stumble across anything.

In addition to seeing more of the city that you’re in, going out to find new restaurants will also allow you to spend more quality time with your roommates and will hopefully make for some memorable experiences. If at some point during the semester you start to feel homesick, you can even combat that feeling by inviting your roommates out to find the best restaurant that has your favorite type of food from home.

4. Discussions about your experiences 

Throughout the semester, you and your roommates may develop your own routines and find that you cross paths less and less often. If this is the case, make an effort to hold a couple of informal events where you can swap some of the experiences that you’ve had and places that you’ve been. If you visited a really cool museum or restaurant that the others might not know about, this is your chance to tell them. It’s also a great way to get new recommendations if you’re running out of new places to check out.

On the flip side, you can take turns sharing experiences that didn’t live up to your expectations. Maybe you found that a popular restaurant was actually just a tourist trap; let your roommates know, and they can give you similar warnings. Since you only have a limited time to study abroad, this is a great way to maximize what you see and do.

It’s also an opportunity for you to check in with your roommates to find out how their experiences are going, and to share any problems or concerns that you’ve had. You may find that they’ve been feeling the same way, and you can bond over these shared challenges. Even if these are just quick meetings, you’ll all benefit by hearing about what everyone has been up to and reconnecting from time to time.

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