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SCSU celebrates the world
 Media Credit: Leslie Andres/News Editor Gao Lee, an SCSU sophomore whose family originally came from Laos, performs a Laotian dance called �Mae Hang Kom Luke,� meaning �Single mother singing a lullaby,� Saturday in the Atwood Ballroom. Lee joined two other students from the Asian Student in Action club in the dance as part of the International Spring Festival organized by the International Student Association.
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 Media Credit: Leslie Andres/News Editor Ed Jackson, junior, breaks through a board during a demonstration Saturday by the Karate Club at the International Spring Festival. Holding the board is Makoto Urano, a senior from Japan.
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 Media Credit: Leslie Andres/News Editor Comrade Tripp, 9, and his sister Azania, 11, try their hands at the Japanese art of Origami, or paper folding, Saturday in Atwood Ballroom. The duo, together with older sister Ruth Sherman, a sophomore at SCSU, tried the ancient art at one of the cultural booths at the International Spring Festival.
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International Spring festival is the one time each year when students, faculty and community members can catch a glimpse of all regions of the world.
Cultural booths, flags from around the world, students from just about every country represented on campus and community members filled the Atwood Ballroom Saturday evening. The event featured everything from karate to a Chinese fan dance and from Nepalese drills to an international fashion show.
Erica Bollig, junior, attended the annual event last year for the first time and was so impressed she didn't want to miss out this year. Bollig enjoyed everything from the Nepalese dumplings and sticky rice from Laos to the dances and music performed on stage.
"This year I really liked the Pakistani dancing and music cause I got to see beautiful costumes and it was really interesting," Bollig said. "It's not everyday that you can experience so many cultures in a town that's not so diverse,"
Bollig, who is studying to become an English as a Second Language instructor, has had the opportunity to become friends with people from several countries since entering college. She had her first abroad experience last year when she visited some of her friends in Taiwan. Bollig has a genuine interest in learning about other cultures and traveling to as many places as possible.
However, she believes that even people who are less interested in culture can benefit from participating in events like International Spring Festival.
"Even if you're not in touch with culture, this is one day where you can go and experience a whole new world in front of your eyes and open your mind to others," Bollig said.
In a sense, being unaware of the practices, beliefs and values of other cultures may perpetuate a xenophobic cycle.
"I think that some people don't have an interest in the cultures of others because they're unaware and this might cause them to hesitate," Bollig said.
Although people are often afraid of the things they do not understand, Bollig believes simply making the effort to learn can break a cycle of ignorance.
"It comes down to people's priorities," she said. "Sometimes people are so busy with their own business that it might not occur to them to take the time to learn about others. [On the other hand] maybe if everyone just tried a little, the world would make more sense."
What would motivate students to put on such an event each year? The answer seems to be two-fold. The event is an opportunity for students to display their talents and showcase aspects of their cultures. It's also an opportunity to meet the volunteer hour requirements. Each of the international students at SCSU has an opportunity to receive instate tuition in exchange for volunteering 45 hours of their time to educate and share culture with the campus and community.
While volunteer hours motivated students like Makoto Urano, senior from Japan, to participate in the event, others like Jaime Yap, graduate student from Malaysia, choose to attend each year without a need for volunteer hours, simply because they enjoy the chance to celebrate each others' cultures and sample new foods.
As a member of the Karate Club on campus, Urano has participated in the event for the past two years.
"Getting volunteer hours motivates us (international students) to share our cultures," Urano said. "This is a good chance for international students to learn about the cultures and experiences of other international students."
Yap, who has attended the event for the past four years (first as an undergraduate and now as a graduate student), doesn't totally agree with Urano. Although Yap acknowledged that volunteer hours might play a role, she believes many international students are there simply because they want to.
"As a graduate student, I no longer need volunteer hours, but I still choose to go there (to the festival)," she said. "There are many students who have more than enough volunteer hours and still choose to participate simply because they enjoy it,"
Yap appreciates the fact that she can find reasonably priced food from almost anywhere at the event. This year, her favorites were a Chinese honey dew and milk desert and a special kind of Chinese rice.
Regardless what culture you come from or what motivates you to attend, Yap believes that there's something to be learned by everyone at the International Spring Festival.
Sharon K. Sobotta can be reached at: [email protected]
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