The MIT Hosts to International Students Program (5-133) helps new international students with their transition to life in the United States by pairing them with faculty, staff, alumni/ae and friends of MIT, including singles, families with children and retirees. The program is looking for new hosts and host families to offer hospitality and friendship to incoming students.
Many hosts invite their students to share holiday dinners, and students generally love the chance to partake in a new set of foods and rituals. Hosts might answer questions about puzzling phenomena such as decorating lawns in December with plastic reindeer sporting illuminated red noses, or carving faces in pumpkins in October. Depending on their interests, hosts and students might enjoy local excursions or share common interests such as going to museums, playing sports or watching movies.
To find more information about this MIT volunteer program, visit web.mit.edu/iso/resources/host_program. Potential hosts should contact Janka Moss at janka@mit.edu, call x3-3795, or visit the International Student Office in Room 5-133.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on September 26, 2007 (download PDF).
