Befriending Pei-Shan and Chia-Wei from Taiwan through the International Friendship Program has been, has been a wonderful opportunity for all of us. Our weekly dinners and activities have helped them to learn more about American culture and practice their English with us. For Andy and I, it has also been a privilege as we have gotten to learn about their culture. Even though it has only been a few months, this has been a great experience and something we look forward to each week.”–Savannah & Andy Stehn , CPC Members

I want to say thank you for all the events you organized for us internationals! I enjoyed all of them. With your help, I get to know Madison and American culture better. Thanks to your effort, I also communicate and makes friends with many local people and other internationals from all over the world. You make us internationals feel less homesick or lonely here. I really appreciate your work and help!

Aurora, my daughter, enjoys the Sunday school at CPC. She also likes making friends with kids she met here at CPC. We both love Madison! It’s such a peaceful and beautiful place and all people are so nice and hospitable here that I love Madison much better than any other place I visited in USA. Aurora and I will miss and remember you and Madison for ever.” – Eudora Guo, UW-Madison Visiting Scholar from China

I would like to thank Madison International Partners and all of friends of this program. This has been a wonderful and amazing experience that will remain in our memory forever. Our 8 years old son also loves this church very much. Kids play together and learn art as well as courtesy, etc. Attending Sunday Service has also been very helpful for us.”
– Yunqiang ZHU, Shaoxia ZHU & Ming-Ming, Visiting Family from China

We have always enjoyed international travel and meeting new people. Madison International Partners and its programs brings the world to us. The meaningful exchange of language, food and culture enriches all of us. Barb & Martin Karhein, Volunteers from the community. I’ve truly enjoyed the conversations I’ve had with internationals I’ve met at English Conversation Time, especially when they turn in unexpected directions and make me think about things I’ve always taken for granted.” – John Heaton, Volunteer and CPC member

I really appreciate your help with my settle down. My roommates and I was unfamiliar with America and this city. Your volunteer picked us up from the coach station and provided us with food and water. It was really helpful since it was in the evening and we could not go to the supermarket by ourselves. In addition, we didn’t have keys at first, and he helped us to contact the building manager to retrieve the keys. What he has done made me feel warm my first day abroad. Thanks!” – Jasmine Jiyuan, Graduate student from China

I’m very grateful to Madison International Partners because it helped me during my stay in Madison to improve my English skills, learn about American culture, play games, eat delicious food and make many friends. Thank you very much!” – Dr. Deng Shejun, College of Civil Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University China

I’m very grateful to Madison International Partners because it helped me during my stay in Madison to improve my English skills, learn about American culture, play games, eat delicious food and make many friends. Thank you very much!” – Dr. Deng Shejun, College of Civil Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University China

I really appreciate that this program arranged for me to be picked up at the Chazen Museum Bus Station when I First arrive here. I believe this program is really helpful not only for my English skills, but also for my life experience in Madison.” – Jing Qu, an international freshman at UW-Madison

Thank you for the huge opportunity, and thanks for all the volunteers that helped me and helped others. It was a fantastic experience and I will always be grateful with you guys.” – Maria Jose Chami, Spouse of a UW graduate student from Chile

So Adriana, you regularly attend English Conversation Time, what keeps you coming back?

I really like to be around people from all over the world. It’s great to practice speaking English with native speakers, but I also like speaking English with people from different places with different accents. There’s also a good vibe at English Conversation Time, people are so kind and welcoming here!

What is your favorite MIP event?

I really like all the MIP events, but I’d say my favorite one is International Cooking and Dinner. I also recently started attending Global Spouse Circle and I absolutely love it!

Do you have any good stories from past MIP events?

There was a time when there were more Brazilians that attended English Conversation Time and we formed a great friendship group. There were two volunteers, a couple, that we all really bonded with. Sometimes we would go out to dinner after English Conversation Time. It was really wonderful; exactly the kind of connections I was hoping to make through MIP.

I started volunteering at MIP after lockdown. MIP has been the silver lining during this dark time, helping me overcome the isolation and pressure of quarantine through connecting with so many wonderful people from different countries. Every week I look forward to seeing who I am going to talk to and what I am going to learn.

One thing I love the English Conversation Time is the sense of community. Everyone is so kind and so nice. This makes me feel it is my second family. It is an incredible community to be a part of.

MIP is truly a family for us. We share my first Halloween, Thanksgiving, and even Christmas in a new country with the volunteers. I am very grateful because I have to support my husband and three kids in a new country, and MIP supports me.

I have been going to English Conversation Time for more than one year. I really like the program because it helps to improve my English speaking. I learn a lot about different cultures and different countries. I make a lot of new friends.

Ruican Wang: I am grateful to MIP for organizing the conversation time through Zoom after lockdown. This allows me to meet my friends so that I feel I am not alone

Nina: I enjoyed going to the church to meet with the teachers and my friends.

I started volunteering at English Conversation Time almost from the beginning. Jean-Rene creates a warm and welcoming environment for both internationals and native English speakers. The internationals are eager to learn and improve their English. By developing relationships with the internationals, I am gaining and learning as much from them as they are from me.

I would like to say thank you to Madison International Partners who give tremendous support to international students in Madison during this pandemic. I am grateful to the English Conversation Time which helps us to connect with each other and gives us a safe and warm place to discuss our concerns and seek advice.

I want to say thank you so much to the English Conversation Time because this program gave me a lot of special friends and amazing moments. So, I wish a long life to ECT and hope that God will bless this program.

It is a good experience to participate in this program (Children Reading/Art program) because I met my best friend there. I also enjoy the science experiments and reading so I really love this program.

I love this reading club (Children Reading/Art program) because I know a lot of new books and friends there. I can talk with my friends and the friendly and helpful teachers. I get to do fun activities like art and science. I really enjoy this program.

Tran Diem Trang

I am a masters student at UW Madison in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. During the time of COVID, we got a lot of support from Madison International Partners, from the grocery cart to picking up my friends from the airport and having a safe place for us to talk and practice English. My husband can also participate in the program from Poland twice a week. My daughter, Mimi, enjoys the kid’s programs every Saturday where she reads books and does virtual scientific experiments.  We didn’t think that we could find a home away from home in Madison. Thank you so much for helping us.

Mimi

I am nine years old, and we’re from Vietnam.

I love to participate in English Conversation Time. I meet so many interesting people, both volunteers and international participants. This is a great experience. We share a lot of about cultures, and everyone seems to love to be there. It is a great painless way to volunteer.

(Madison International Partners) is a platform which welcomes you without being judged or discriminated (against). It gives you a platform to connect with locals and internationals to get to know and learn about culture and, most importantly, find lifelong friends.  While living in Madison and beyond, this is a platform that helps me. During this COVID-19, we all are keeping physically distanced, but this platform keeps us socially connected while keeping physically distanced by creating lots of online programs and platforms for kids and adults. I myself am experiencing Madison International Partners. I would like to encourage you to check it out  and experience this life-long experience and volunteer here.

I am from Cuba. I am very grateful and happy to meet you this year.  The Global Spouse is a very special group for me. I appreciate you for giving us part of your time and help. I feel like I am a part of a large family here in Madison. Thanks for all. God bless you.