By Eli Soderberg
A feast to celebrate cultures from around the world was held for all UNCP students and faculty by the Office of Global Engagement on Sunday evening, September 1.
The event, “The Feast of Nations,” took place inside and outside of the UC Annex, where long tables were set up with a variety of food from all over the world. Students were invited to explore different cultures through food and activities to bridge community and cultures.
“There is no better way to bring cultures and community together than by cuisine,” said Daniel Perdue, Assistant Director for Campus Engagement.
The Office of Global Engagement, along with Campus Engagement hosted the Feast of Nations for the second consecutive year. The goal for the event is to bring awareness to the different cultures of the international students that attend UNCP. The hope for the event is to strengthen the school’s community and the relationship between American and international students.
Organizers see the event as an opportunity to showcase where the international students are from while also educating students from America about foreign cultures and cuisine that are hard to come by on a daily basis. The aim is to create an inclusive and supporting campus.
Both American and international students could be seen indulging in an array of food, including West African Jollof, Kenyan Kachumbari, South African Malva Pudding, Middle Eastern Lamb Kofta, Turkish Baklava and much more. Those students who wanted a hands-on-experience and was ready to wait in line could also make their own sushi rolls.
The event is greatly appreciated by the international students who enjoyed not only food from their country but also a chance to meet other international students. Languages from around the world could be heard all around while “Afrobeats” were playing from the speakers.
“Even though they did not have any Puerto Rican food, it is nice to see that other cultures are being brought to attention and celebrated,” said Maria Cancio, a senior from Puerto Rico.
UNCP is the home of 222 international students, representing 40 different countries. Beyond aiding international students to navigate their time in the USA, the Office of Global Engagement hosts multiple events per semester that bring awareness to different cultures.
The Feast of Nations is an event that the Office of Global Engagement plans to continue to host every year.
“We also look forward to international education week in November and lunar new year celebrations in the Spring,” said Rosa Ball, Assistant Director of International Student Engagement.
The plan was to have the picknick seating, the food and the activities outside, but due to inclement weather the seating and activities got moved inside of the UC Annex. After the students had stopped their hunger, they could go inside where giant Jenga, four-in-a-row and the West African game called Kalaha were set up.
“I am having a great time, but I am almost too full now,” Maria Cancio said. “I think overall it was a very fun event, and I hope they do it again.”