Features

A taste of home

The International Culture Celebration was held in Grambling State University McCall Dining Hall on Monday as one of the first of many events to kick off the week of Spring Fest.

The dining hall was buzzing with students enjoying the International Day festivities during the usual lunch period. Music filled the cafeteria as a crowd of engergetic students filed in to take part in the experience.

The menu being served on this particular day was quite different than what is normally seen in GSU’s caf. With a total of nine dishes, six Carribean and three Hispanic, there was a variety of delicious food for the students to experience.

According to Assistant Director of  Admission for International Affairs Kyris Brown, the culture celebration was created in order to give the international student body more presence at Grambling State University. Brown seeks to make the student body feel more inclusive. For the many students that come to Grambling from far away there is usually quite a culture shock. The food in the cafeteria provided a small piece of home for many of the international students on campus.

“I love the music, it reminds me of home. The meal was fabulous. It makes me feel like I’m back home in the Caribbean,” said Emily Williams, junior accounting major from Portsmouth, Dominica.

The Spanish Club had a table set up during the celebration, offering a variety of Latin American candy to offer students a taste of the Latin culure. They encouraged students to learn more about their club and get involved.

“We are trying to make other ethnicites comfortable and not feel left out,’” says Araceli Rodriguez, a junior accounting major from Ruston.

While the event was important for the international students on campus, it was also important for the domestic students who took part in it as well. While the food was different from what they are normally used to eating, many students found that they greatly enjoyed it. The music, students would find, was not so different from any of the music they listen to. The styles and even artists in many of the song lineups overlapped with the popular music in America.

Brown hopes that all students, domestic and internationa,l will take valuable experience from the culture celebration.

“This is a learning experience of different cultures. It’s an introduction of food from other countries. It will also help with the retention of international students.”