Akemi Akiyama's world changed dramatically when she arrived on the campus in the spring of 2000 with her husband, Yukinori, who was beginning a several-year stay at Yale as a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Medicine's Department of Neurobiology.
At home in Japan, Akiyama worked full-time as a pediatric dentist and had a network of friends and family. Since she didn't have a visa that allowed her to work in the United States, she was unsure of how she would make use of her time in her new -- and foreign -- surroundings. She was anxious about being isolated, particularly because she was not a confident English speaker.
Today, Akiyama is a co-leader -- with Warrena Wilkinson -- of International Spouses & Partners at Yale (ISPY), a group dedicated to making people like herself >
feel at home in the Yale and New Haven communities.
The two women were originally introduced by Elisabeth Mead, an assistant >
director in the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS), the Yale organization that serves as a resource for foreign students.
When she met Akiyama, Wilkinson -- a Canadian whose husband, Kevin, is a student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences -- and four other women were working to organize a group for the spouses and partners of foreign students and scholars. Akiyama enthusiastically joined the cause, and ISPY was launched in the fall of 2000.
The group now boasts more than 100 members and recently was awarded funding from the U.S. Department of State through a $5,000 grant from the Cooperative Grants Program of NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
ISPY supports international spouses and partners at Yale by helping connect them both to one another and to the campus and city communities, says Wilkinson. She started the group with assistance from the OISS and the Graduate School's McDougal Center because she noticed the need for an organization which could expressly meet the needs of that population.
"When I first came here at the start of the fall 2000 semester, I attended some events that were very helpful, such as an OISS orientation for international spouses and some activities hosted by Round-the-World Women, a social group connected with the International Center of New Haven," says Wilkinson. "These were a good start, but it still seemed that the process of getting information about available resources and opportunities was sort of hit-or-miss for international spouses. I felt that a group specifically designed for spouses and partners from abroad could be beneficial in drawing them into the community and making them feel a part of it."
In its first year, ISPY members launched several programs. Once a month, members try out one of New Haven's many restaurants by gathering for lunch; every Tuesday night, a group of international spouses congregate in Wilkinson's apartment for "Craft Circle," where they can socialize as they work on such projects as quilting, journal- and card-making, sewing, needlepoint and other projects. The group also hosts "ISPY at the Rep," where spouses attend Yale Repertory Theatre productions on "pay what you can" nights. On the second Thursday of each month, the group holds meetings to plan and organize other activities and projects. In the past, these have included impromptu gatherings such as a potluck picnic and hawk-watching at New Haven's Lighthouse Park.
ISPY members also were instrumental in the creation of two new English-language conversation groups that are offered to the Yale international community through the OISS and cosponsored by the McDougal Center and the Center for Language Studies. These weekly groups focus on beginning English and complement three intermediate/advanced conversation groups that were formed last year. Both of the new conversation groups are facilitated by ISPY volunteers.
In addition, members have joined together to set up more informal activities, such as babysitting exchanges, carpools to grocery and other stores, and volunteer activities. Most recently, ISPY members volunteered at Red Cross blood drives following the Sept. 11 tragedy and helped staff the OISS and Yale Center for International and Area Studies booths at Yale's Tercentennial celebration in early October. Many spouses also volunteered earlier this fall with the New Haven Book Bank at the Chapel Square Mall in conjunction with the New Haven Reads program organized by the New Haven Free Public Library.
"A lot of the spouses of Yale students and scholars had professional careers before coming here -- our group members include a lawyer, a nurse, an economist and teachers, for example -- and they want to be active and involved in the community," says Wilkinson, who was an early childhood educator and events planner in Vancouver. "For many of us, volunteering is one of the ways that we can do something useful and, at the same time, meet a community need." Wilkinson more recently obtained a work permit and is now a part-time OISS staff member.
Melanie Davison gave up her career as a nurse in England to accompany her husband, Andrew, to Yale, where he is a postdoctoral associate in the neurobiology department at the School of Medicine. Davison says ISPY informed her of some of the volunteer opportunities available, leading to volunteer work in child psychiatry at Yale-New Haven Hospital.
"I went all out to volunteer, otherwise I would have been sitting around a house with no furniture," recalls Davison of her early days in New Haven in the fall of 2000.
Davison admits that she felt "cut off" when she first arrived in New Haven, particularly because there was little time to adjust to life in a foreign country. "My husband had to plunge right into work, so there was no opportunity for us to get acquainted here as a couple," she explains. "Luckily, I met a lot of new friends through ISPY and I continue to widen my circle through the group."
The Yale community, in fact, has a sizeable international population of some 2,900 students and scholars from more than 100 countries, notes Mead. About 85% of this population is made up of graduate and professional students or postdoctoral and visiting scholars, many of whom are in New Haven with dependent family members.
"The OISS was excited to help in the formation of an organization that could be a support to this population because we see the real need that international students, scholars and their spouses have for specific information and to make connections," comments Mead. "While OISS does serve as a resource for the students and scholars, we were sympathetic to the desire of spouses to have something that specifically served their interests, and have been excited to help ISPY out in any way that we can." In addition to providing office space and access to office equipment to ISPY members in its formative months and beyond, Mead also wrote the group's application for the NAFSA grant.
"It's difficult to move overseas and away from all of the people who love you and who have known you since you were a child," Mead adds. "This is especially true for our students, scholars and spouses from more traditional cultures, who are used to having a lot of family support. ISPY makes the spouses and families of students feel welcome, and helps show them what a wonderful place Yale is to be."
Isobel Kersting, who hails from Scotland, has found a niche in the Yale community as a volunteer facilitator in one of the ISPY beginner English classes, and is a regular participant in the monthly ISPY luncheons, planning meetings and the Craft Circle. She came to New Haven this fall to join her husband, Christian, a student at the Law School who is from Germany. She quickly became involved with ISPY and made a fairly seamless transition to her new community.
"I've heard that, before ISPY, it could be very difficult for spouses, especially those who don't speak the language and are alone while their spouses are away working or studying," says Kersting. "I know that for some of the spouses in my English class -- who come from China, Japan, Argentina, Korea, Taiwan, Brazil and other countries -- just finding out where to find certain things can be a challenge. In ISPY, they meet a lot of people who can share information and are eager to help."
ISPY members are currently working on a comprehensive handbook for international spouses and partners, and hope to launch a Yale website. The group is also hoping to start a "Community Kitchen" program, in which spouses can exchange recipes and dishes they've made, and is discussing the possibility of creating a group in which members can teach computer skills to those with less expertise.
"There is a lot we can offer each other, and Yale and New Haven have a lot to offer," says Wilkinson. "Our group just makes it easier for people to make the connections so that they can take advantage of all the great opportunities that are here."
Akiyama sums up her involvement by ,saying, in perfect English, "I'm really happy to be involved in ISPY. I'm volunteering at the International Center and I have a lot of friends from many countries. I'm also a 'buddy' to another spouse from Japan, so now I'm helping her get to know Yale and New Haven."
For more information about ISPY, visit its web page at communities.msn.ca/ISPYInternationalSpousesandPartnersatYale. In-ternational spouses and partners are also encouraged to subscribe to the ISPY and Yale International e-mail lists; for these, visit I_SPY-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and YaleInternationalsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.
-- By Susan Gonzalez
T H I S
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
Yale boasts five new Rhodes, Marshall Scholars
Internationally renowned journalist examines causes of terrorists' rage
Former U.S. ambassador discusses role of leaders in Israel-Palestine clash
Sternberg to focus on students' rights as head of APA
DeVane Lectures to look at love, law in Cervantes' works
Famed architect Maya Lin discusses how her works are inspired . . .
In Focus: International Spouses & Partners at Yale
Scholar urges expansion of efforts to save giant pandas
MEDICAL SCHOOL NEWS
Piano performance piece to open Yale Rep series
Yale Rep announces spring line-up of plays
Happy Holidays! Season's Greetings from the Staff . . .
Ethics of health care will be explored in ISPS talk
Yale athletes to offer free basketball clinic to neighborhood youths
A window to treasure
'Blood and Race' in the U.S. is topic of talk
Yale Books in Brief
Campus Notes
Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events|In the News|Bulletin Board
Yale Scoreboard|Classified Ads|Search Archives|Deadlines
Bulletin Staff|Public Affairs Home|News Releases|
E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page
