Last Wednesday evening the yearly International Festival took place in the UT Bastille. At six o'clock the gaily decorated atrium room had already begun to fill with people, and the smells of food from the booths of some 18 different countries permeated the air.
Each country sat proudly in its own booth at the well organized event and the great diversity of foods from different countries was complemented by enlightening displays and exhibitions of crafts, clothing, and traditions. One of the most interactive demonstrations was a henna painting table next to the Indian group - they were kept busy most of the evening by participants willing to be temporarily tattooed. Possibly the most dynamic display was near the Turkish table where artists showed off the complex art of traditional painting on water. Involving floating oil paint in different patterns over a shallow pan of water, many different prints were made throughout the evening by laying paper over the pan and carefully peeling away the pattern.
With so much food to sample from countries such as Ghana, Lithuania, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, and France, participants had a huge assortment of cuisine to choose from. The always busy and crowded Chinese booth this year had an enticing display of spring rolls and `hot pot' which consisted of a huge variety of meat, vegetables, and prepared dishes that were cooked quickly in boiling stock and eaten fresh from the pot. A cooking video was also on display to underline the finer points of Chinese cuisine. Suriname and India also had popular tables with some distinct dishes, which were new to many hungry members of the crowd.
Vying for attention this year with China, the recently formed Turkish Student Association at Twente (TUSAT, www.tusat.org) provided for a seemingly never-ending group of interested diners behind a table packed with delicious Turkish cuisine such as dolmas, kofta, and an excellent stuffed eggplant. Ph.D. Associate Selim Çiraci of the Software Engineering Research Group in the Department of Computer Science/EWI, watched over the Turkish student association's table. Çiraci was excited by the new group's reception, `We just formed on November 11 and this is our first activity; many students came together to share in the cooking and organizing.'
In addition to the range of great food, dancers and singers from Colombia, Ghana, and Turkey entertained the crowd from the stage. Other displays included a cooking exhibition from Italy and a demonstration of Chinese Tea lore.
Jan Jaap Verheij of the AEGEE-Enschede board explains the intention of the festival: `The evening is all about getting to know the enormous diversity of cultures at the University of Twente. Having fun together of course, is an important aim. But also cultural exchange and bringing internationalization to the attention of students and student organizations. There are a lot of different students of different nationalities at the University and obviously, we can learn a lot from each other. That's why the International Festival is a great opportunity to see a bit of each other's culture and get to know other people. Most of all, we'd like people to realize that the University is an international one.'
The umbrella organization of PITS (Platform Internationalisering Twentse Studentenorganisaties) that includes AEGEE Enschede, SMIT, the International Office, AIESEC Twente, WOT, and Monsoon, was behind the festival and made sure everything ran smoothly. Look for more chances to experience the international diversity of the university in the coming year! Check in at PITS online http://www.pits.utwente.nl/pits_home.html for more information.
(Photo's:Maurits Diephuis)
