s lots of jobs on is for students,†Sreera ‘If we were locatedi js in town.†ce inued from page es of TX-TF1,†Mar rtell said a precond ng on TX-TF1 is hav cments already m amily and work to lea ament's notice, impensated for time work. Family niemis t allowed to accomp on veral weeks -TF1 is a state ageifl in College Station as e Texas Engineer don Service, but ■search and recou n will be under feds ction. .ARIF1CATI0N ue to a press problem. front page stories ice Shuttle Co\m\>i; THE BATTAll te tinned from page! 2001, students o ed $208 million to economy, which is million from the pretj he said. hat same year, thet)| student spent y,†Stephenson i translates into more d off campus.†nior biomedical sciei Sruti Sreerama worlsl in the veterinary iy department. 2 said students are ji vantage when com® | Arriving in an entirely new country and learn because of the numeii ig to speak a language other than your native ague can be a difficult experience for most hink the fact thatAH EO ple. Because many international students d in a smaller commii! | Ce this difficulty every day, the English anguage Institute has now created Conversation artners, a program that pairs student volunteers ith international students, bigger area, you« t h this p rogrami imema . e as many students wo departments on estaurants and others Aggielife The Battalion Page 3 • Tuesday, February 4,; Culture Talk nternational students make friends in Conversation Partners By Nishat Fatima THE BATTALION onal students are provided tposure to the English language, well as to the complexities of ving in America. Dexing Dai. who originally ails from China, joined Conversation Partners four lonths ago and said his English inguage skills have improved rastically. My partner and 1 have con- prsations while we are doing fun tiff like playing soccer or eat- ig,†he said. “If I have any prob- u Most of the time, the relationship goes from being a formal one to a friendship. 9> — Kristine Winters senior international studies major ms with my homework, then I read it to him, id he helps me smooth it out. I feel like I have nproved in my oral and listening English.†Dai said that aside from improving his grasp missions that co nEnglish, he also uses the time with his partner familiarize himself with American culture. “My partner tells me a lot of things about pical American life that I didn't know before,†e said. “He helps me out by exposing me to different orms and ideas of the culture,†Dai said. “In also like to share different facts and spects about the Chinese culture. We both learn lot from the experiences.†According to the Web site, ittpj/studyabroad.tamu.edu, the idea is to meet ffldtalk about literally anything the students tare-food, customs, music, movies and so ■iucasual environment. The foreign stu- tegrates over ea^ W e/1 ^Approve their ability to speak English, s†and “Shuffle in East Texas†did id inue on page ever, these stories able in their entirety! Battalion’s Web silt .thebatt.com. - Apparel - K2 Skates • Sd»* T * —*^1 usual ice with chased. ure purchases t| - euo>| - uuj/iups - ire benefits) ne of these fields: education, health, edical and Dental, tt Country, Student Loa# .m. rg Bldg with the help of native English-speaking stu dents. Kristine Winters, who is in her fourth year of volunteering for the program, said Conversation Partners is a good way for international students to make friends as well. “I studied in France for a semester and I know how hard it can be to meet people, espe cially if the culture that you hail from is a lot different from where you end up,†said Winters, a senior international studies major. “The inter national students enjoy the pro gram because they can use it to learn more about the English lan guage, and also to make American friends.†Winters said the club has long term and short-term benefits for all involved. “Most of the time, the relation ship goes from being a formal one to a friendship,†she said. “Although the minimum time for the buddy program is an hour a week, I usually end up spending a lot more time with my conversa tion partners. There have been times when my partner made authentic interna tional food for me, and it was great.†“This semester is going to be especially interesting for me because my new partner is from South Korea, and I am very eager to hear her opinion about the situation between the United States and South Korea,†Winters said. Cecilia Solis, an English Language Institute student from Mexico, said the program helped her adjust to life as a student at Texas A&M. “My partner from last semester took me to places like the MSC, the different cafeterias, libraries and other interesting places on cam pus†Solis said. “She also told me about all of the different customs and traditions that Aggieland has.†Solis said the program helped her out a lot. “Since I joined last semester, it has definitely helped in improving my English. The buddy that I was paired with was very nice and helpful,†College of Agriculture and Life Science, Agricultural Career Exposition ftibiuarv 5,2013 KlnDero Atrium 8:00 am- 2:30 pm LION ief lay during the versity holidays and exam periods)! 7840. POSTMASTER: Send in,TX 77843-1111. Id University in the Division of S# Reed McDonald Building. Newsf# ittp://www.thebatt.com lorsement by The Battalion. For ca> , ' Jvertising, call 845-0569. Advert^ onday through Friday. Fax: 845-26$ 4 student to pick up a single coff' 1 $60 per school year r $30forlliel !:l ;e by Visa, MasterCard, Disco#. }l ■Ag and Natural ■JELD-WEN Resources Policy ■Job Hog Inc. Congressional Intern ■Lawns of Dallas Program ■Luby's ■Ag Workers Mutual ■Pilgrim's Pride Corp. Auto Insurance ■Sanderson Farms ■Archer Daniels ■Tawakoni Plant Farm Midland Co. ■TruGreen Land Care ■Bayer CropScience ■Tyson Foods Inc. ■Career Center ■Universal Computer ■Cargill Systems ■Contibeef ■US Peace Corps ■Cooperative System ■USDA Agricultural (Land O' Lakes, Research Service Agriliance) ■USDA Food Safety ■Environmental and Inspection Industries Inc. Service ■Excel Corporation ■USDA National Ag ■Farm Credit Statistics Service ■HEB Grocery Co. ■Wright Brand Foods Don’t miss this opportunity to discuss your future internship or full-time employment! Solis said. “We talked about everything from social issues, classes and even my country Mexico.†Overall, Winters said, volunteering for the program is a fun experience. “I have always had a new partner for each semester and I am always excited about the event,†she said. “It is a fascinating experience because each of the students have so much diversity that they bring with them.†IVAN FLORES • THE BATTALION THE Librar Meet • Drink • Lounge Come and experience our exclusive “See and Be Scene†Tuesdays: Efe "Martini Mixer" $ 2 flfl Martinis all nightu Wednesdays: Girls Night Out Ail ladies eat 1/2 price at La Bodega (69i-taco> 9-11 pm All ladies drink 1/2 price at The Library ALL NIGHT!!. Thursdays: **1 IT-# Retro Rewind 70% BO’s and 90’s music along with today’s hits $ 2— anything in the House till 11 p.m. Fridays: ^ “Friday Buzz- *2— wells till 11 p.m. Saturdays; “Excess†$ 3— Long Islands till II p.m. Available for Private Parties 846-5814 Doors open: 9p.m. Tuesday-Saturday 329 University Dr. at Northgate