I am reading a passage, the first line is as follows.
自治会から、留学生数人との交流会があるとの連絡を受け、行ってみた。
I got a message from student association that there would be a gathering with some exchange students and I went to check it out.
What I don't understand is the purpose of と in the second line as follows. I don't think と in this case is to construct a conditional phrase.
自己紹介が終わると、司会役が「日本に来て、驚いたことは」と質問した。
Having self-introduced, the moderator asked, "What stroked you when you arrived in Japan?".
Why did the author use 「自己紹介が終わると、」 rather than 「自己紹介が終わって、」?