Ruth, an African American Student from Chattanooga, Just Met Her

Ruth, an African American student from Chattanooga, just met her new college roommate, Francesca, for the first time.Francesca is from Mexico and is having a great deal of difficulty adjusting to American culture, and is feeling more than a little homesick as this is her first time away from home.Ruth is excited at finally being away from home, and is looking forward to a fun-filled year.Although Francesca seems nice, it is a bit of a "downer" to have such a melancholy roommate.Ruth has heard that you have taken a course in interpersonal communication, and comes to you for advice about how to interact with her new roommate.You decide that the best approach is for Ruth to try and socially decenter in an effort to get off on the right foot with her new roommate.Using the various skills associated with social decentering, what advice do you give Ruth?