RIT Dubai - First floor meeting

I've taken a few days to write about this first meeting because there are some moments in your life that are so simple, but so profound. No rocket science, nothing special - just the simple things that happen in our residences across the US all the time - a new group of people, a few ice breakers and the sweet sound of excited chatter as people get to know each other.  I got back to my room a few hours later and just sat on the edge of my bed, amazed to have been a part of this meeting of students from around the world.

Then again, I just may be an overly sentimental person who geeks out over the work of residence life.

Mandip and I have been in training over the past few days and had talked several times about pulling this first meeting together.  In the states, a student sits through a first floor meeting or two before they become an RA, go through training and lead one themselves.  RIT Dubai has had students living together for only a quarter to date and much of Mandip's role has been helping with the administrative business of housing students.

At 8:30, I was trying to figure out how to order pizza.  This friends, is no easy task in the UAE. The person on the other end of the phone can't understand me and I can't understand him but we carry on this conversation like we both have complete understanding. C'mon - its just 4 pizzas. The plan was to have someone pickup some snacks - I really wasn't trying to impose a US pizza paradigm - but when snacks fall through - Pizza Hut delivers.  First, how do I dial out?  And which is the closest Pizza Hut?  And how much is this going to cost?  And how many do I really think will be there? The number doesn't work.  It's 8:40. Frustration rises. Try the main line - all calls answered in Arabic first - learning not to panic immediately when hearing Arabic - usually wait and hear "Press 2 to continue in English."  Okay - pizza should be here at 9:30. That will work.

9 PM  its Mandip, me and the study abroad students....where are the Dubai students? Just like any floor meeting - a little wrapping on the doors and soon, the room fills to 30 students. Before we can even start, Omar tells his friends to lead us in a prayer, as its the right and good thing to do. Good things must come of this if we begin with a prayer.   Inside I'm reacting in several ways - but we're in Dubai...and more importantly, this is being led by one of us... go with the flow and see what happens.  Mohammed and Tito protest a bit as if their mother is putting them on the spot.  Tito makes an awkward effort, but he's clearly not comfortable - or perhaps even a bit shy about this - Omar takes the reigns and stands.  He leads a short prayer asking for the blessing of Allah on all of us.

We are all anxious to get to know each other. The Dubai students have been waiting for the Study Abroad students, and the Study Abroad students likewise were looking forward to meet their Dubai classmates. 

I inflict my favorite but most effective name game  - many thanks to the study abroad students.  They know what's coming, they wince a little, but they are there with me.  Chose a word that describes you that starts with the same letter as your first initial AND do a movement as well - as you progress around the circle, each person adds to this crazy group dance, first repeating all the names, modifiers and movements that went before.  We struggle and strain to decode the names from different countries but in this group more than any other - we all help out.  How do you pronounce that? Again?  Lots of laughs - and we make our way around.  Even the young women who sneak in late are able to get through the whole list of names.

Next we split into threes and start learning about each other for a few minutes.  The room is LOUD.  Laughter, excitement - its pretty fantastic.  We come back together and we take turns introducing each other with the bits we just learned - and we realize we're all working in English, which may be a second (or third or fifth) language for some of our students - so for a few, we help them out...

And by now we're well over an hour in - and there's no pizza.  So, the planner in me is panicking.

We talk a little bit, brainstorm a little - and it's time to wrap up...

At this point, Maddie - an RA back in Rochester, presents Mandip with his ResLife Swag.  Recognizing his completion of training - as is tradition on the Rochester campus - he is presented with his ResLife gear.

We actually brought shirts for everyone, so pretty soon RIT shirts are flying around the room. I'm really glad I didn't pack the t-shirt gun!

RIT students continue to mingle - I think they're hoping for pizza too. I'm convinced that our pizza is being delivered somewhere in Timbuktu - but finally - over an hour late, the pizza arrives.  After the pizza disappears, so do many of the students and I'm pulling together my things and convince a few students to help me clear the pizza box debris. Mandip was clearly excited.  A number of students remain behind to chat and share their excitement about the meeting too.

I know, and I've been saying all along - what will emerge here will be unique to RIT Dubai.  It should be - yes, they're students. Yes, they're RIT.  But we're in the UAE. We're in Dubai. And we don't want to have a cookie cutter replica - because it would fail here. We have to meet the needs of our students - and they come to us from different places -  developmentally and geographically. There will be bumps along the way - particularly when you're in the first stages of opening a university - but the work of residence life is to help students settle in, make it their home and get to the work of learning.