Freshmen Lydia Longstreth and Ha Nguyen have found that despite coming from different sides of the world, they are a lot alike.

What are the chances that two young women, growing up in different cultures on different sides of the planet would be so compatible? While this notion may seem farfetched, it is, in fact, grounded in reality when you meet Ha Nguyen (pronounced HA WIN) and Lydia Longstreth.

Ha is from Hanoi, Vietnam, while Lydia is from Knoxville, Tenn. Ha had never been to America before coming to Berea, and Lydia’s only experience outside the U.S. was in Canada.

The two first – year students live together in Pearsons Hall and like most freshmen approaching their first semester in college, they wondered what to expect and who their roommate would be. Neither had any idea who they were rooming with until they received a room assignment letter last summer.

"The school sent me a letter that told me my roommate’s name and where she was from, but Ha didn’t have a contact number so I couldn’t call and talk to her before the start of school like a lot of the other people could," said Longstreth.

Ha, smiling nodded in agreement.

So, the two met and talked for the first time after they arrived on campus.

While both were open minded about having a roommate from another country, they wondered how they had happened to be put together.

"I didn’t know what the criteria the college used for choosing roommates, so I didn’t know what to expect," said Lydia. "I had no idea what Ha would be like, but I thought she would probably be quiet because she was not an American student."

Both speculated that they may have been paired as roommates because both requested someone quiet on their housing forms.

"I am glad to be rooming with Lydia," said Ha. "I can practice my English, and I am learning a lot about your culture by living with an American."

Lydia is also glad for the pairing.

"I thought we might be really different and not get along because we have such different backgrounds and experiences," said Lydia. "But it has turned out that we get along really well, and we both want to room with each other again next year."

Ha said there was precedent for her to continuing her education abroad.

"Both of my parents studied abroad (in Romania and in Cuba) as students," she said. "I was excited about coming here and wanted to learn about your culture. My parents really wanted me to come here."

While the American culture is different to Ha, one aspect that interests her is the observance of holidays.

"I have come to know more about your holidays, like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Independence Day," she noted. "In my country we celebrate Christmas, but I learned about your Independence Day on television."

Another change for Ha is the celebration of the New Year.

"In Vietnam we are on the Chinese calendar, so the new year is celebrated later than the new year is here," she explained.

While coming to a new country and being immersed into a new culture has been quite a learning experience for Ha, Lydia said she too has gained many insights.

"I had not met anyone from Vietnam before," explained Lydia, "and I don’t feel I know very much about her culture, but I am getting to know Ha. I don’t know if what I have learned about her is true for the whole culture."

Longstreth said one thing she has learned is to be more patient and to accept things.

"She never complains about anything," said Lydia. "I can’t think of one thing she has complained about like my stuff or school being to hard or anything like that."

Another thing Lydia has learned is to listen.

"Ha talks very quietly and that was difficult for me at first," said Lydia. "I had to ask her to repeat herself six or seven times because I couldn’t even hear the words she was saying," said Lydia.

Both agree that living together has become fairly natural and the fact that their temperament is so similar makes that possible.

"We are similar in personality," says Lydia. "We stay up late to make sure all of our homework is done."

"We also like to talk before going to bed," added Ha.

Ha said she was concerned about fitting in, but she has felt very comfortable in Berea. And, while there have been some major adjustments she has had to make, probably her biggest adjustments has been to the food.

"One of the big differences is the way things are cooked," said Ha. "Everything here is so sweet. The chops (meat) are sweet. In my country meat is more salty."

Another adjustment is shopping for groceries.

"We go to the market every day and buy fresh things," said Ha. "We don’t keep so many things in the refrigerator."

While she was encouraged to come here to study, Ha said she became concerned briefly about whether she had made the right decision when she reached the Los Angeles airport.

"It was so loud in the airport, I was hoping this would not be what Berea would be like," she said. "I was glad when I got to Berea that it was much more peaceful."