 "Photo:")
-- See video of the softball game at the bottom of this page --
More than five different languages echoed throughout the softball diamond during a Chico Area Recreation & Park District coed softball league game Friday night.
The international students of the American Language and Culture Institute battled the Chico citizens' team, Two Men and a Truck.
The students of ALCI remain winless in the six-game season. But wins are not the reason they are playing.
The ALCI, an intensive English learning program for international students attending Chico State, aims to provide the necessary skills to be taught in the American higher education system.
The program also assists in introducing foreign students to American life and culture. The team consists of students from China, Japan, Korea, Turkey, Colombia, Chile and Brazil.
ALCI instructor Jennifer Partika chose softball to aid the students' interaction between Americans and fellow students, she said.
"It's a very diverse group and they are making friends with each other," Partika said.
For many of the students, this is the first time playing softball and on a coed team, she said.
Partika wants to see how many of the students interact with each other and learn about other cultures, she said. But many of her students still hesitate to interact with other American students on campus.
The ALCI students are afraid no one will understand their English, she said.
"They are so shy - they don't mix," Partika said. "Even when they integrate into university classes they pull back."
Senior Anthony Wisniew coaches the ALCI team and enjoys assisting with the students' interaction with Americans, he said.
Wisniew volunteers several times a week introducing other sports to the team, he said. He recently took the team to The Graduate to introduce them to his favorite sport: American football.
Wisniew not only teaches them, but is quickly learning about their cultures, he said.
At the end of each game, each player says "good game" in his or her native language to demonstrate pride in his or her heritage.
"They are learning about American culture and English through me," Wisniew said. "It's an awesome trade-off."
On the first day of practice, no one knew how to play softball, he said. No one on the team could hit, run the bases or throw and catch.
"It's a lot of fun," Wisniew said. "Now they can throw into double plays."
Korean outfielder Jiyoon Lim experienced his first catch of the season Friday night.
The feeling was fantastic, Lim said.
The season's first in-the-park home run was hit by Mingzhe "Jason" Zhang from China.
Zhang is one of several students who has chosen to take on American names.
This helps his efforts to meet new people without the difficulty of learning a hard-to-pronounce name, Partika said.
Zhang remembers his heritage by the Chinese characters printed on the back of his jersey, he said.
Zhang, who has played basketball for eight years, does not let the difficulty of learning a new sport get to him, he said.
He still may not know what base to throw the ball to, but he continues to have fun with his team, he said.
The team doesn't worry about winning or losing, Wisniew said.
"It's about making new friends," he said.
ALCI member and journalism student Tomoya Taguchi contributed to this article.
Natalia Ferruggia can be reached at nferruggia@theorion.com. Video by Zac Fernandez
3 comments