From Nepal to Guatemala to Cameroon, they come from a variety of backgrounds, but international students at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology have one thing in common that brings them together.

"Even though they are from all different countries, they are all far from home," said Heather Fannin, who along with her husband, Kevin, run the Dakota chapter of International Students, Inc.

The students have been gathering at the ISI house on Wednesday nights for the past seven years to sample international coffees, exotic teas and American snacks and to meet other international students.

"They come for the relationships, more than the help we give," Fannin said.

Carine Wamkam came to the School of Mines to work on her master's degree in material science and engineering. She chose the school because of its small size, affordable cost and the quality of its program. The only student from Cameroon, she said that the coffeehouse is a good way for her to meet other people.

"ISI is really good, because it helps you blend into the life here so you feel less lonely," Wamkam said. "You don't have friends at first, and this is an opportunity to meet others."

Wamkam played table tennis with Nicole Malz from Freiberg, Germany, at a recent meeting.

"It's good to come here and meet all the different people," Malz said. "It's much more easier to talk here than at school."

Malz, the only exchange student from Germany this semester, chose to study abroad at the School of Mines because of its smaller size and geology program.

"I looked at the landscape, at the pictures of the area, and I thought, 'Oh wow, that must be great!'" Malz said.

Suzie Aadland, director of the Ivanhoe International Center at the School of Mines, said that the ISI activities are great for the students to help them work on their English and build camaraderie.

"It's good for them to get together to share their cultural experiences so they can talk those out and figure out what is going on," Aadland said. "Some of them have similar backgrounds, so even though they aren't necessarily from the same country, they are going through the same experiences."

Fannin said the job she her husband do is simply to help the students adjust to life in the United States, whether that be through temporary housing, English as a second language courses or the friendship family program, which matches students up with a family to befriend them.

"It's really anything students need," Fannin said. "It's truly almost like we're American parents. We become their family."

In addition to the Wednesday coffeehouse, the Fannins host ISI gatherings every Friday night, with home-cooked meals, music and spiritual discussion groups. Averaging 70 students each week, this is the 10th anniversary of the Friday night events.

"The spiritual discussion groups can be intimidating for some students, so we really wanted the coffeehouse to be a bridge, for them to get to know us and know that we aren't going to pressure them into anything," Fannin said.

A southern Sudanese student who grew up in Khartoum, Lomatayo - his full name - said ISI is just like having a family in town. After living in India for a while before emigrating to the United States, he chose the School of Mines for its chemical engineering program and because he has family in Sioux Falls.

Lomatayo said that through ISI, he has made many friends and grown spiritually.

"I used to think that there was no hope for me, and then through ISI, it changed the way I look at things," Lomatayo said. "It has completely changed my life."