Tufts Blogs

One of the greatest things I’ve experienced about Tufts is my exposure to various cultures and customs through my closest friends. I have been extremely fortunate to make friends from all corners of the globe during my time at Tufts. This naturally has expanded my perspectives to encompass and consider a wider variety of traditions and backgrounds. The best part is that at Tufts I’ve found my friends to be very committed to sharing their culture and preserving many of the traditions they may have participated in at home. I live in a suite with 9 other girls from Dubai, Singapore, Australia, and a few states spread out in the USA. This has given me the opportunity to learn about so many different cultures and customs I otherwise would not necessarily have been exposed to.

Just a few days ago, my suite mates and I had a small gathering in our suite for friends to celebrate the start of the Lunar New Year. Many of my roommates celebrate Chinese New Year given that it is an incredibly important holiday in their respective culture. Being that many of my roommates are international students and far from home on special occasions I often consider that it must be difficult but I watched as my friends of all different backgrounds came together to celebrate this special holiday with our friends. I felt extremely for the Tufts community and the close relationships I’ve made thus far. 

We all wore red as part of the tradition and my roommate from Singapore cooked dumplings for us and encouraged us to try many traditional foods and snacks. It meant a lot to me to help my friends recreate their traditions although they may have not been nearly the same as they would have done at home. I think it's important to acknowledge the strength of community that is possible here at Tufts to preserve your customs at your home away from home.