by Oleksandra Volakova
International Education Week is soon approaching — a nationally acknowledged week of celebrating the diversity of cultures and exploring international education. Mark the week of November 14 – 22 and visit events about international language, culture, and history. With more than 20 events being hosted, finding an appealing event will not be a problem.
There will be several cultural events organized by the Foreign Language Teacher Assistants and Fries Center for Global Studies staff. The FLTA Carnival will have a lot of international games, hands-on activities, and global snacks; an Indian cultural night with Hindi-Urdu calligraphy, a lot of Bollywood-style dancing, spicy hot tea, and Kurkure; and discovering the Richness of Arabic Culture through food, games, and cultural insights.
Other intercultural activities organized by Wesleyan students include:
- Breaking Asian stereotypes.
- Talking about the importance of Irish Gaelic language preservation.
- Giving insights on Venezuelan piranhas in Spanish.
- Having a panel about accents of non-English speakers.
- Talking about immigrants’ rights.
- A performance of West African drumming.
Some will involve attendees’ active participation, like a workshop on Vietnamese cup dancing or an International talent showcase.
For movie lovers, there will be several film screenings throughout the week — “Touch of Spice,” about a young Greek boy in Istanbul, the popular Bollywood film Baahubali 1, and the documentary Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom, about the civil rights movement in Ukraine.
Don’t miss out on food events on campus to get a moment to try authentic dishes instead of Usdan’s food. Vietnamese Student Association will prepare the famous Vietnamese street food “Bánh Tráng Trộn” and share it with Wesleyan students. The Thai Student Association will host a Thai festival called “Loy Krathong,” where they plan to make Krapao pork and rice and order egg rolls from Typhoon restaurant for Thai food.
Some Academic & Career Panels will also be available for students to learn new things and share their experiences. Careers in Global Higher Education will highlight education and career opportunities abroad, the Study Abroad Q&A session will answer all the questions related to going abroad to study, and the ISAB x FGLIAB Info Session will talk about how Wesleyan supports FGLI and international students, as well as how they can receive assistance. There will also be a workshop to explore AI in language learning and the ways it can be used.
Feeling anxious or distressed because of the latest news, American and international students are welcome to take advantage of the Global Wellness session led by CAPS, which will provide lunch and talk about self-care and suicide prevention. Please remember to take care of your mental health and appreciate your feelings.
Please see the full event schedule here!
