Fall 2010 Intramural Champions

Congratulations to Alex Pappas, Carlos Rodriguez Flick, Adolfo Rico Motis, Olivier Saverot, Davy Vanderweyen, Benjamin Graf, Laurent Pezanis-Christou, Rainier Jaarsma, Jose Torres Lopez, & Jose Diego Celsi for being the Champions of the women's and men's intramural soccer tournaments!

The Futbolers Forever

 

The Chihuahas

Farewell

The semester is almost to an end and many of the students will be leaving Charleston. Let's get together for one last event for some good laughs at Mellow Mushroom this Tuesday, December 6th at 1:30pm on the second floor. The luncheon will take place on Reading Day so give yourselves a break from studying and come join us!

Please R.S.V.P. on the club's Facebook group event (International Club Farewell Luncheon) before Monday so we are able to make seating accommodations. If you are unable to attend the Farewell luncheon, please contact Michelle Ortega to receive your certificate of appreciation and your club t-shirt. 


We have ten of our own International club members playing in the women's and men's intramural soccer finals on Monday, December 5th. The women's game begins at 7:30pm- The Futbolers Forever vs. TriDelta. Then the men's game follows right after the Futbolers at 8:30pm-The Chihuahuas vs. ???.

Please come out to cheer on the Futbolers Forever and the Chihuahuas on the second floor of the Silcox Gym. The gym is located on 24 George Street (right next to the Carolina One Arena; on the corner of George St and Meeting St).


Best of luck to the Futbolers Forever & the Chihuahuas!

Happy Thanksgiving / Meet...

The Thanksgiving Dinner event on Thursday night was a great success! Special thanks to Dr. Gerhard Mack and to the faculty members of the Center of International Education office for the lovely turkey dinner. Please check out the CofC International club group page on Facebook for more updates this week.

Meet

Rinske Groot Koerkamp

Rinske Groot Koerkamp is an international student from the University of Groningen, Holland. She is a junior and is majoring in International Business. She hopes to one day work in the field of Hospitality and Tourism Management. She is a very ambitious individual. She enjoys traveling and making new friends all around the world.

Have you visited the United States before coming to Charleston?

"Yes, two years ago I came to the United States to work as an au pair for a family in Connecticut during my summer vacation." 


When did you begin learning the English language?

"When I was about 11 years old, my elementary school taught us the basics of the language. Our university offers many courses taught in English."

What's the weather like back in Groningen right now? 

"Right now, Groningen is very rainy and very cold. Everyone is probably wearing winter jackets because it starts getting really cold around September. I really enjoy Charleston's warm weather. I don't miss the cold at all."

When Rinske sign-up for the bi-lateral program, she was shocked to find out during her orientation that there were five other Dutch students from her university also studying at the College of Charleston. Since her arrival, Rinske has been traveling all over the United States and will continue her travels across the country during the winter break.

Meet...

Just a reminder that if you have not paid for your International club t-shirt, please contact Michelle Ortega at msortega@edisto.cofc.edu before Thanksgiving Break. The club t-shirt includes all of the fall semester club members' names on the back and it is only $9.00 each.

Meet

Xudong Huang

Xudong Huang is an international student from the University of Nottingham Ningbo, China. He is a junior and is majoring in Business Finance and Accounting Management. Xudong hopes to study here in the United States for his Master’s degree in Business Finance.

Why did you choose to study here at the College of Charleston?

"We had many universities to choose from in the United States. I choose College of Charleston because of my college mate. He had studied at CofC and he had told me all about his experience coming here."

 Did you do any research before choosing College of Charleston?

"Before applying to the college, I did do a bit of research on the U.S. News and Education website. I wanted to see where the college was located and to check out the college’s rankings."

What did you do for your Fall Break?

"I went with the CofC International Club to Bryson City, North Carolina for four days. We hiked the Bartram Trail and rafted on the Nantahala River. It was a great experience and a great way to get to know people around the world."

Although the travel to the College of Charleston was a very long fourteen hours flight, Xudong was accompanied by his ten fellow classmates from the university. As they finally arrived to the beautiful city of Charleston, they were each excited to see what the city had in store for them.

November Events

We will be having our next club meeting this Wednesday, November 17th at 6:00p.m. in Room 201 at the Stern Student Center. We will be announcing the price for our club t-shirts, and planning for a farewell dinner. We look forward to seeing everyone this Wednesday night!

Just a reminder that the Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner will be taking place on the second floor (Alumni Memorial Hall) of the Randolph Hall building at 6:30p.m. There will be staff members from the Center of International Education to assist you. Please make sure to use the front entrance and to bring your healthy appetite.

This past semester has been filled with many students' events throughout campus. Our very own Bolzano international students; Gabriele Kahlout and Corneliu Illisescu have been making a name for themselves around campus.

Gabriele had successfully created Memoriz Easy, a computer program that assists students to learn a foreign language. The program's main functions are the Reference cards, the Interactive tests, and the Auto-Complete homework helper. Download for a free copy of this computer program please visit mysimpatico.com.

Corneliu and a selected few of computer animation students were approached by the director of Between the Lines to help create animations for the production. Although, this was Cornelius's first time using Abode Flash, he blew everyone away with his animation abilities that many of his animations were used during the show on November 5th and 6th.

Congratulations to Gabriele and Corneliu!

Trick or Treat! / Meet...

We are pleased to announce that we will be ordering International club t-shirts for this fall semester. Our very own International club member, Marcos Borunda Garcia has created the designed for fall semester club t-shirt.

The Design

This design consists of all the active members of International club this fall semester and of each international student's home countries. There will be a College of Charleston International Club logo on the upper left chest.

Official T-shirt Design

If you are interested in purchasing a club t-shirt, please contact Michelle Ortega at msortega@edisto.cofc.edu. The club t-shirts run in adult men's sizes; Small, Medium, Large, or X-Large. We would like to order the club t-shirts as soon as possible! The deadline is on Monday, November 1st.

Raging Pwners vs. Chihuahuas
Men's B League Soccer Match

Come out and cheer for the Chihuahuas as they play the Raging Pwners on October 28th at the Physical Education and Health Center located on 24 George Street. The match starts at 10:30p.m. and it is located on the second floor of the Silcox gym. Several of our club members will be participating in the match; Carlos Rodriguez Flick, Adolfo Rico Motis, Olivier Saverot, Davy Vanderweyen, Benjamin Graf, Laurent Pezanis-Christou, Rainier Jaarsma, Jose Torres Lopez, & Jose Diego Celsi.

Meet

 

Benjamin Graf 

Benjamin Graf is a non-degree seeking international student here from Courcelles-Les-Lens, France. He is currently enrolled here at the College of Charleston through the bi-lateral partnership from Lille Catholic University. Benjamin has his bachelor's degree in Business Management and hopes to successfully finish his master's degree in International Business by next year.

What made you decide to study abroad for a full academic year?

"I think it is very important as a student studying international business to experience and to learn about other cultures. I felt that a semester just was not enough time to experience a different way of living."

Why did you choose to study abroad?

"I wanted to improve my English, so I decided to study in the United States. I also wanted to leave France to experience a different lifestyle."

Describe your experience living on-campus at College of Charleston?

"Earlier today, I thought my bicycle got stolen from Kelly House. I went straight to Public Safety and they helped me retrieve my bicycle right away. It turns out that I didn't lock up my bicycle properly, but I'm just really happy that I got it back."

When Benjamin sign-up for the bi-lateral program, he was a bit nervous to find out that he was the only student from his university attending College of Charleston. However, he was surprised to discover that during his orientation there were eight other exchange students from three different French universities studying here for the entire academic year at the College. 

The Faces of International Club

Meet

Carlos Rodriguez Flick

Carlos is an international student from Chihuahua, Mexico. A senior from the Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, he is studying abroad here at the College of Charleston. He is currently enrolled in the bi-lateral exchange program, which allows CofC students to study around the world for a semester or an academic year at a partner institution while still paying for their CofC tuition. He is majoring in Computer Science and plans to one day receive a Master's degree in Industrial Automation.

How was your trip to Charleston?

 

"We drove a little over three hours to El Paso, Texas. Then we took a four hour flight to Charleston."

What do you like most about Charleston?

"The beach and all of the historic architecture surrounding the city of Charleston."

Would you recommend CofC to any of your fellow classmates from your university?

"Yes, I would tell them that it was a cool experience. It allows you to get to know people not just from United States but from other countries as well."

During Carlos's journey to Charleston, he was accompanied by three of his fellow Computer Science classmates; Marcos Borunda, Adrian De la Garza, and Adolfo Rico Motis. Together these international students took advantage of the bi-lateral exchange program to study here at the College of Charleston, a lifetime experience they will never forget.

October Events

We hope that everyone enjoyed their fall break! Many of our own International club members went on a hiking and rafting trip in North Carolina. They spent four days in Bryson City, North Carolina near the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. This is the third year that the International club has visited Falling Waters Resort  and Wildwater Ltd. Rafting on October 9th thru the12th. 

Thirty-two International club members hiked the Bartram Trail, rafted on the Nantahala River, and spent some quality time in front of the campfire. Many of the students expressed their thoughts about the rafting trip, for example an international student from Free University of Bozen - Bolzano, "The trip was crazy, in an awesome way!" said Corneliu Ilisescu. International club looks forward to next year's fall break trip with new faces and new memories.

As Halloween approaches, International club has organized a private tour of the Haunted Jail House with Bulldog Tours.  A tour guide will take us through the cells of the Old City Jail that held the most feared criminals of Charleston during the 19th century. It is a forty-five minute tour and it begins at 8:30p.m. on Friday, October 29th. Spaces are limited (only 20 spots) and tickets are $16 per person, so if you are interested please contact Michelle Ortega at msortega@edisto.cofc.edu.

Welcome to the CofC International Club Blog Site!

Join College of Charleston’s International Club in the Stern Student Center Ballroom every other Wednesday night at 7:00p.m.

The past two meetings we have discussed about some upcoming events throughout the fall'10 semester, our fall break trip to North Carolina, some fund-raising ideas, and possibly getting club t-shirts. So, if you have any ideas or if you would like to sign-up for some of the upcoming events, please contact us!

The CofC International Club is an excellent student organization to get involved with on-campus. It is not just for international and national exchange students but also for all College of Charleston students as well. It is a great way to meet students from all over the country and world. It is also a great way for all the international and national students to experience the culture here in Charleston, South Carolina.

If you are interested in joining International club, we highly encouraged everyone to attend our club meetings every other Wednesday night. Make sure to join CofC International Club group and the College of Charleston Center for International Education page on Facebook.

If you have any questions about International club, please email our club President Naseem Keshmirian at nkeshmir@edisto.cofc.edu. If you are interested or have any questions about studying abroad please contact our club Faculty Advisor, Dr. Gerhard Mack at mackg@cofc.edu.

We look forward to seeing some new and old faces to the club and we are so excited for this upcoming semester with our new international and national exchange students!