International and RTM Students Bond in Asheville

On November 17, students from the International Tourism class and students in the English as a Second Language program (ESL) went for a day-long tour of Asheville, North Carolina in order to improve communicational skills between Americans and international students. This was the first time this kind of trip was organized .

    “It was a chance for RTM students to practice their skills in leadership and communication with people from other cultures,” says Roy Ramthun, professor of Recreation and Tourism who teaches the International Tourism class, “It gave a chance to ESL students to see an interesting new city they have never been to before.” Overall there were 14 students who went for the trip, and students from ESL were from Japan, China, Mali and Columbia. “People in the tourism field need to build skills for interacting with visitors from anywhere in the world,” says Dr. Ramthun. Students did a walking tour of Asheville - an artistic little city with a lot of live performers, galleries, interesting restaurants, and ethnic food.

    “The trip to Asheville, North Carolina was a great experience for our class purpose, which is to get to know international travelers. The trip was very fun!” says Olga Novikova, a student in the International Tourism class. “American students got to learn many different things from international students of ESL class. Some of the things seemed weird to them, like when they noticed how many pictures international students were taking on the way or when they were offered to try a Chinese snack, which was duck feet.” West Virginian and international students were somewhat reluctant to interact with each other, according to Ramthun. Yet, after this small push the interaction happened. “A part of the purpose of the class was to make this interaction happen. This is how some of West Virginia students are able to develop their skills in dealing with international visitors. It also definitely helps ESL students to practice their language in different situations,” says Ramthun.

“The trip was a mixture of knowledge, exploration and fun. Asheville is the perfect place to visit. I learned a lot and enjoyed meeting new people, learned a part of their culture and also shared mine,” says Coumbel Sow, a student in the ESL program who came from Mali.

    Novikova believes that the International Tourism Class “motivates American students to be curious about other nations, prepares them to travel and gives a different perspective on how people in other parts do or view things, which might not be the same as they got used to see in their own culture.” Overall, the trip brought a positive experience for both international and American students. “International students loved the opportunity to get out to a bigger city, and American students enjoyed learning something new about people from different cultures,” says Novikova. She believes that “International Tourism Class motivates American students to be curious about other nations, prepares them to travel and gives a different prospective on how people in other parts do or view things, which might not be the same as they got used to see in their own culture.”

    Ramthun is satisfied with the achieved results in improving students’ communicational skills and he hopes to include such a trip in the class program and take students to a tour every spring semester when the International Tourism class is offered.