Wooster’s International Student Association held their first dinner in the Lowry Ballroom on Monday.† The theme was “travelization” (student travel abroad) and four American students, Jeremy Bervoets ’11, Brittanny Lee ’11, Hannah Haas ’12 and Akosua Grimanis ’12, spoke of their experiences abroad to Sweden, Malawi, Peru and Ghana, respectively.
Throughout the dinner, Americans and International students alike sat together to listen to the stories of adjustment and realization the speakers brought up.† Hayet Rida ’11, a native of Ghana and the president of ISA, said that she was extremely pleased with the turnout of over 80 people in the small ballroom.
In addition to the monthly dinners that ISA plans to hold, there are many other events that the organization hosts during the school year.† ISA helped to sponsor the J’Ouvert Paint Festival to get international and American students involved in the celebration.
In November, the campus will feature International Education Week, which will celebrate the many different cultures represented at the College.† There will be a culture show, bazaar and many speakers.† There will also be an International Food Festival where students will cook foods from their respective countries.† In the spring there will be a more formal dinner in Kittredge Hall to again gather together the campus to celebrate cultural diversity.† All events are open to the entire campus.
An event that Rida wants to begin is a stir-fry cook-off, where the winners will have their recipes printed out and available in Lowry at the Stir Fry station.† The inspiration for the event came when† Rida, along with many other of her international friends, attempt to re-create their home dishes at the Stir Fry station and are often asked by Americans what ingredients to use.† By making a menu available to all students this can give everyone options and ideas of what to prepare.
Rida said that in addition to international students and global nomads (students born in the U.S. but have lived in two or more countries) who are automatically a part of ISA, the group welcomes and encourages American students to join as well.† “I would love a 10 to 1 ratio” of Americans to international students in our group, said Rida, who believes that learning the many facets of American culture is only achievable if Americans are involved.
Rida also said that something nearly all international students have in common is that they still do not understand American football, and hopes that one day the football team will just sit down and explain it to them.
This coming month, on a date yet to be determined, ISA will once again hold their International Dinner in Lowry Ballroom, which Rida said would have a unique theme† and great food.
If you are interested in becoming a part of ISA or want to learn more, please contact Kathryn Shull at KShull13@wooster.edu and keep a look out on Facebook for the next ISA sponsored dinner.