Facilitator Corner: Fleur Xuanlin Li

 

"Learning about different cultures and meeting people make me more open-minded and really want to explore new things."

FIUTS Facilitators are student leaders from all over the world who welcome new international visitors, help to organize events, and lead activities for hundreds of students each quarter. Read on to find out more about the FIUTS facilitator experience from Fleur!

Name: Xuanlin Li (Fleur)
Country: China
Major: Psychology
Class: 2016

FIUTS Facilitator Since: Spring 2013

About Fleur

My name is Fleur. I am a sophomore in UW and I like it a lot! I am from northeast China, Harbin, which is known as the ice city. Every Harbiner you know or may encounter in the future would be proud of the extremely cold winter that we have. Probably because of the weather (who knows!), people from northern China are known for their hospitality and straightforwardness. So if you ever consider visiting China, check it out!

What does it mean to be a FIUTS facilitator?

I have always been fascinated by cultures.  I have a keen interest in knowing how different cultures and experiences make everyone who they are. I met many of my friends through FITUS events, and they turn out to be my best college friends. I am a facilitator because I want to be the one that bring people from all over the world together and the one who helps cultivate friendship, because I believe the best way to know a country is to know its people, and participating in FITUS enables me to do so.

What is your favorite FIUTS anecdote from your time as a facilitator?

My favorite memory of being a facilitator is being a committee member for CulturalFest. It was a busy three months of sending out emails, recruiting booths, giving class presentations, and buying supplies. On the day of the International Expo, when everything turns out from paper work to be real, I was amazed by the effort every booth captain and volunteer had put into it. It was just happy to see the whole HUB Ballroom filled with kids and adults, and everyone was just as excited as I was.

Being a FIUTS facilitator is inspiring. It is always about learning new things. Learning about different cultures and meeting people make me more open-minded and really want to explore new things. Working with other great leaders and sharing experience can be inspiring as well.

What tips and comments do you have for peer facilitators?

-        Be flexible and adaptable when things don’t go exactly as planned. There will be a lot of things happening when you lead a trip: bad traffic, too large group, snow storm (when leading a group up to Mt. Rainier in winter) etc. Don’t panic, and make sure that people are not worried or bored.

-        Try to talk to every one in the group, make sure no one is left behind

-        And have fun!

 
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