On Monday, the English Program for Internationals helped kick off International Education Week with an exciting cultural Bazaar. Table displays on Greene Street represented different countries while advertising the rest of the week’s events.
The International Bazaar took over Greene Street from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with dozens of proud international students cooking cultural foods, providing henna tattoos and answering historical questions.
International Education Week is a nationwide event that promotes international education exchange programs and encourages cooperation and awareness between cultures in order to prepare students to both live and work in an increasingly global environment.
“It’s something created by the State Department, but we do it all over the U.S. across college campuses,” English Programs for Internationals professor Cameron Bandera said about the week’s origin. “We get all of the international students together and have a week long of celebrations and events.”
The events not only require the dedication of the international students, but also the passion of a loving staff.
“After my Peace Corps years, these internationals are close to my heart,” Bandera said.
The faculty all have a deep appreciation for international students and what this week means to them.
“Working with international students is terrific,” Interim Testing Coordinator at EPI Robin Jordan said. “The world comes to you, and you get to see different cultures ... The students are just fabulous, a great bunch.”
With about 150 students in EPI, a large variety of countries were represented at the Bazaar. Tables were set up on both sides of Greene Street, with posters and various cultural elements from Japan, Taiwan, China, India, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh, among others.
“I’m from Andhra Pradesh. It’s a state in India. I’ve been one and a half years on campus,” electrical engineering graduate student Vinya Sri Penchala said. “We are from the Indian Student Organization.”
Cultural colors, delicious delicacies and ceremonial garments could be found at the booths, representing a wide range of countries. For international students, allowing their peers to learn about their home is both important and rewarding. Different tables allowed for students to engage with the internationals beyond just asking questions. Some students offered teaching others how to spell their name in different languages, decorated others in their country’s traditional garments and shared their nation’s favorite foods.
“We have two tables. At this one, we mainly just make the dumplings. It’s a traditional Chinese food. We prepared a lot before today," Fred Sun, a graduate assistant in the International Student Services Office from Beijing, China, said. "And on that table, we show some traditional Chinese handwriting. You can get the Chinese version of your name on that table. And a teacher from the Confucius college will show you how to write your name in a traditional Chinese way.”
Oftentimes, students from across the world experience homesickness and a desire to be immersed within their native culture, and this event seemed to both combat feelings of homesickness as well as raise awareness about the diversity of cultures on USC’s campus.
“We are from Bangladesh. We have a chance to show our culture and help people know about our country, so we were interested in that,” civil engineering graduate student Firoza Omar said.
Students walking by could stop for a few minutes and learn about a wide array of different cultures.
“I was walking out of the library and heard the music and thought I’d check it out,” second-year media arts student Angelo Allison said. “It was a spur of the moment thing, and I loved talking to people and getting some free food.”
For many international students, this week goes beyond talking about their nation’s history or showing pictures of their country’s geography.
“A big part of culture shock is that you go through a period where you miss everything about your home," Lauren Smith, an adviser in the International Student Services Office, said. "And this really gives them a chance to have a little piece of home here in Columbia, South Carolina. Because they get together with people from their own country, and they get to dress like them and talk with them and eat their food again here in the U.S.”
Despite many differences, students seemed to be enjoying the event immensely by proudly displaying and celebrating the many elements of their cultures.
“They’re all out here to share their culture with USC campus,” Community Outreach Coordinator Terry Goodfellow said. “This gets them exposed to the campus and the campus exposed to them. It’s an exchange of culture.”