Speed Friending brings together many local and international students

As it has become a tradition of sorts, immediately after the Orientation Week Speed Friending is organized to bring together RSU’s local and international students.

This time, the event takes a virtual form and lets the students join from their hometowns and countries. Shortly before 16:00 everyone who applied and received the invitation link starts joining the Zoom event. Jokes about seeing so many people being silent begin almost right away and conversation quickly turns to the new semester and classes some students will still have after the Speed Friending is over. That is one of the unexpected perks of everything being online – you can join the event in-between two classes and still be everywhere on time with no worries about commute and traffic.

Altogether 38 students join the event and everyone turns to the first activity – introductions. The participants are separated in groups of 5 and have to introduce themselves to their respective group and answer a couple questions prepared by the organizers. After that they meet in other groups and discuss another set of questions. One more round follows and then it is time to start the main Speed Friending session.

The main session is organized in breakout rooms as well, only this time there are 2 or 3 participants per room. There are plenty questions to discuss and so little time before students get reassigned to new rooms and new partners to hold a conversation with. Some confess that instead of answering the provided questions they are choosing to chat about studies instead. Which is one of many topics that all participants have in common and is so easy to talk about.

As physical activity must not be forgotten, the discussions are followed by a quick game of Scavenger Hunt. Everyone must find and show other participants some items that fit a certain description. Favourite mug, something living or a favourite snack? All participants have something to show. When it comes to finding something cold, one participant decides to take advantage of winter and grabs some snow from the windowsill. Finding something reflective and positioning it in the right angle lets everyone see themselves on other participants’ computer screens which gives the very needed sense of connection and unity.

RSU’s International Department, Student Union and International Student Association all hope that the participants had an entertaining evening filled with fun conversations and new connections and friends.

See you again in next events!