A week of multicultural celebration ran from October 20 to 26 on campus
Oct. 20 to 26 marked International Education Week at Mt.A, where the University’s International Centre put on a week of events by student societies and classes that celebrate cultures from across the world. Mt.A’s international exchange and study abroad programs promote both diversity and representation on campus, allowing students to immerse themselves in new cultures.
The exchange program brings students from over 20 partner universities around the globe to campus. Likewise, Mt.A students are able to travel the world through the program. The International Centre is meant to help exchange students and students that study abroad, including international students that come to N.B. to study at Mt.A.
On the week of Oct. 20-26, the International Centre brought together students to celebrate multiculturalism at Mt.A. Monday was Latin Rhythms: Basic Dance Lessons, taught by the Latin American Student Society (LATAMS). The LATAMS is a student-run society for Latin American students on campus. The event took place at the dance studio in Mt.A’s Fitness Centre, where members of the society gave basic dance lessons to anyone interested in learning.
On Oct. 21, the Japanese Cultural Society put on a Japanese Calligraphy and Origami event. The Japanese Cultural Society is another student-run organization that shares Japanese culture to all students in the community, no matter their background. They provided supplies such as brushes and ink for people to write their names in Japanese kanji calligraphy, as well as pizza! The event took place in Gracie’s Cafe and had a substantial turnout.
On Oct. 22 students were invited to meet the team of the International Centre for a “Humpday Hangout”. Later that day, the Japanese Foodways class, and the Mount Allison Semester Studies in English (MASSIE) hosted an event called Umami Matsuri. The Japanese Foodways class is part of the Geography and Environment department, taught by Department Head Tim Reiffenstein. Umami Matsuri is an annual event to share essential Japanese food tastings. “Umami” itself is the Japanese word for a salty, meaty flavour such as that of savoury soups and soy. The flavours at this event reflected this, including seaweed at the start, rice balls, dried tuna, cheese with soya sauce, and miso soup with different levels of saltiness. There was also extracted MSG on display.
The annual Study Abroad and Exchange Fair took place on Oct. 23, where students interested in going on exchange could hear from others who had gone in the past. Robin Walker, Mt.A’s Experiential Learning interim director, led an information session for prospective exchange students. Afterwards, students could go to the fair, where students who had gone to different countries to study in the past could share their experiences and promote the partner universities they studied with. Students who had lived in Australia, England, New Zealand, Japan, Germany, and many others sat and talked with curious individuals trying to decide where they should apply to.
On Oct. 24, the International Fashion Show took place. This event is a hit every year, where students from different cultures are invited to sign up and walk down the red carpet dressed in their traditional wear. The event also brings in foods of different cuisines, this year they had local restaurants Feyisola’s Kitchen and House of Tarka.
The last event of the week was a Diwali celebration on Sunday, Oct. 26. Diwali is the festival of lights for Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists, but is celebrated by many South Asian cultures even regardless of religion. The festival is five days long, each day dedicated to certain deities, and the third day being the biggest day of celebration. Mt.A’s event was at the end of the week and held by MOSIAC, a student-run multicultural club that promotes the sharing of different cultures across campus.
Mt.A’s International Education week was a busy week with contributions from all across the student community. From miso soup to Latin dancing to Diwali, the week celebrated the diversity on campus and gave a little taste of home to those who have found a new one in Sackville, N.B.