Students celebrate International Education Week
International Education Week kicked off on Greene Street Monday with an International Bazaar. The event, hosted by International Student Services, included lots of food, dancing, clothing, activities and booths set up by many different international groups to highlight different cultures at the university.
“We’re hoping that students learn how to be global citizens, that they learn that there are over 100 countries here at USC and that there are different cultures and experiences all around them,” said Lauren Lowe, an International Student Services adviser. “We hope that they’ll learn to take part in that.”
Lowe said international students have a lot of cultural knowledge to share with the university, from how they dress and act to the kinds of food they eat.
“It’s such a great way to see how much they want to share their culture with people,” she said. “I’ve really learned that international students not only come here to get an education, but to teach other people about their cultures.”
Sammi Addahoumi, a second-year political science student, said the event has a two-part focus: it provided an opportunity for students to express their cultures and an opportunity for students to get to experience other cultures. For Addahoumi, who said he has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Libya, the bazaar was a great way for students to get their own personal perspective of cultures or people as opposed to relying on the media.
For instance, he said, “The media portrays Benghazi as being a huge place for terrorists, but I felt safer walking around Benghazi at night than I do in Columbia.”
International students were able to talk with other international students and their neighbors. They said this was one of the few times where international students can freely exchange information and ideas among students from neighboring countries.
Some students said this type of event helps them grow and learn more about themselves.
“I learned that I love my country more,” said Lujaina Al Maskari of the Omani Student Association. “By doing this every year, I get a sense of what people want to know and what I need to do. I also discovered my inner leader.”
Other International Education Week events this week include:
— Salsa lessons, 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Bates West Social Room
— Exchange Student Meet-and-Greet, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Legare 321
— Persian Night: Taste of Persian food and culture, 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday in the Russell House Ballroom
— Special Indian lunch menu Friday at Grand Market Place in Russell House
— Indian Student Organization’s JASHN celebration, 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday in the Russell House Ballroom