TL;DR: Exchange student seems to be alone. My friend and I noticed but are extremely shy and don’t know how to approach him. Advice please?
Hi! I hope this is the right sub 😅
I’m a student (F23) at a small department of our uni. We have our own “campus” if you want to call it that and people know each other especially the ones who study the same languages. Because our focus are translation sciences, we also have quite a few exchange students because of the different language branches.
A friend and I noticed that one of the exchange students that has been here since last october, seems to be always alone this semester. Last semester I had a class with him and this semester my friend has a course with him that’s why we noticed. I remember that he always talked to other exchange students from his country last semester but they are gone now. And the new semester has been going for 6 weeks by now.
We are worried that he doesn’t have someone to talk to in uni, but we are both extremely shy and I can say for myself that I lack social skills especially when talking to a stranger in another language.
My friend can’t talk to him before/after class because he is always a minute late and leaves immediately after class ended.
I could text him because I have his number from the group chat for that course last semester. But I have no idea what to say to start a conversation. Also applies to approaching him when he is at our department standing around smoking alone, I just don’t want to bother him. But I know, I would have wished for someone to approach me when I studied abroad.
Do you have any tips for approaching him?
2 comments
I’m no expert but probably ask him questions about his home country ?
Something like ” Hey sorry to bother you, need help to settle [insert debate that somehow has a strong link to his country]. Wdy think ?”
Ask him if he needs help on the course and if he is good, ask him if he can explain some stuff to you (even if you’ve perfectly understood already).
Maybe even learn some words of his native language ( like hey how are you my name is) then strike a basic conversation and switch back to English after.
Probably just straight up invites him to do some stuff. He might just accept.
That’s really sweet of You! I bet he will appreciate if you talk to him.
If he is standing somewhere alone (smoking or just waiting for something) you could walk up to him and just say something like: ” hey what’s up? My name is xxx and I think we had ‘course’ last semester together.”