Role Play – Scenarios
(all names are meant to be gender-neutral)
Campus Event:
Your campus hosts an event each week called Int’l Café where internationals gather to hang out and meet other internationals and Americans. D.J., an American who is a regular at this event, invites Shawn, another American to this event for the first time. They sat down at a table with a few internationals, including a visiting scholar from China, a graduate student from India, an exchange student from Germany, and an English learner from Korea. They are all very quiet.
- What should the Americans do?
English Conversation Group:
Ashley is an English conversation leader and with a group of students from Taiwan, South Korea, Turkey & Japan. The topic of discussion for the day is culture shock. Ming from Taiwan is kind of dominating the conversation and seems to be talking mostly about Taiwan instead of the assigned topic. Yuki from Japan has not said a word.
- What should the conversation leader do?
Int’l Christian Group Gathering:
Your fellowship group is predominantly Chinese with a growing number of Southeast Asians, and a few Americans & Latino-Americans. This is your first meeting of the year. Most of the Chinese stick together speaking in Mandarin. Two new Latin Americans just walked in.
- How do you think the newcomers feel? What might be going through their minds?
- What should the group of Chinese students do?
- What might the Americans do to help the situation?
Things to keep in mind…
Questions to ask:
Who are the internationals on this campus?
- What countries are international students on this campus from?
- Which departments (or majors) are they in?
- Are they scholars (researches, post-docs), grads, undergrads, exchange students, language learners, family members?
- Are there Christian internationals?
Where to we meet int’l students?
- Where do internationals hang out?
- What existing activities for int’l students are on this campus?
- Where do internationals live? go to eat? Shop?
- When do internationals arrive and leave?
What are their needs?
- What might be their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs?
- What services does the campus (or another organization) provide?
Essentials in ISM:
- Relational vs event-orientation
- measure of success – not how many events you have but how many relationships are built & the sense of “home” people feel.
- Flexible & spontaneous – hold your plans loosely; grasp opportunities as they come.
- Hospitable – welcoming posture, smile, inviting, take initiative
- Be an open & humble learner – learn how to ask questions
- Prayer & relying on the Holy Spirit
