By Rebecca Groen (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: November 23, 2011
Last week UFV students, staff and faculty were invited to begin a weeklong journey into a variety of different cultures during International Week. It was meant to be a promising adventure, stopping at various sites all around the world.
Indian culture was the first to be promoted. Over spicy samosas and cups of steamy chai, spectators watched UFV’s male Bhangra dancing team on Monday. “I’ve been doing Bhangra since I was four-years-old,” said dancer Anmol Bopari. “Dance is a big part of Indian culture, so we’re sharing it with you today,” he added. Adaly Molina, who works for UFV International, explained that there are a large group of Indo-Canadian and other international students, and International Week gives them an opportunity to showcase their cultures. “Tonight: a taste of India,” she laughed.
Wednesday took students to China, where they could pick up a “Chinese Passport” and visit five stations offering information on Chinese cities as well as authentic Chinese food. Once their passport was full, participants could go and pick up a Chinese souvenir. Jolynna Qiao, a second year international business student, explained the importance of the event. “There are a lot of Chinese students here at UFV. This gives us a chance to learn together, as well as to share our culture with the Canadians.” The Chinese students also hosted the community dinner, where for $2 students could enjoy a full meal. They did this as a fundraiser for the victims of the earthquake in Turkey.
Thursday welcomed a mosaic of cultures from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. Colourful clothing, enthusiasm and bright smiles were displayed by the international students who spoke about their home countries. Dances from a number of represented cultures entertained the audience. Four students from the Dominican Republic performed a traditional dance from their native land, as did students from Indonesia, Singapore, Korea, Mauritius and Ghana. The dancer from Ghana, Akyaa Addo, said that she and her fellow students from Ghana were there to showcase African culture. “Africa is huge,” said Danielle Acquah-Labi who was also busy that night with braiding people’s hair in the traditional African style. “There are different ways of dressing for different parts of the country, and it varies greatly throughout Africa.”
The final destination of International Week was Japan. “There is a Japanese event held every Friday on campus. This is just an extension of that,” said first year international business student Ayaka Hatakeyama. “It gives us a chance to show our culture and its traditions.” Traditional Japanese games were available to try out, as well as origami. “We are also serving real green tea, not like the type you can get in stores,” said Hatakeyama. “It is a bitter tea, generally used in ceremony.” Oshiruko—a sweet-tasting, customary Japanese bean soup with boiled rice balls—was also served.
