MU| F e a t u r e s
F
or three full days every other
spring Manchester international
students gather in Chartwells’
kitchen to prepare the foods of
their homelands. It’s exhausting,
says Salwa Nubani ’16, of Ramallah,
Palestine.
But it’s also no ordinary meal. The students
are cooking for hundreds of guests at MU’s
biennial International Fair.
“As a Palestinian, it gives me a chance to
represent my country and my culture,” says
Nubani, a biology-chemistry major now
studying osteopathic medicine in Kentucky.
“It gives me a lot of joy to see my classmates
and fellow community members just enjoying
my culture’s food.”
The first International Fair, held in the
Physical Education and Recreation Center
(PERC), took place in 1993 as part of
International Education Week. The event
grew in popularity and, because of its scope,
is now held every other year. About 650
students and community members attended
the fair in April.
Complementing the food was entertainment
from around the world, including a Scottish
pipe and drum band, Philippine dancers and
more. “The dancing was neat to watch,”
says Frank Sammons, a sophomore from
Rushville, Ind. “Getting to see them express
themselves and their cultures through their
dance and clothing made the experience all
the more memorable.”
Nubani says international students would
like to make the fair even more educational,
more interactive. The atmosphere creates a
comfortable setting for domestic students to
ask international students about their cultures,
she explains. In turn, it’s a comfortable place
for international students to speak their own
languages, wear their native dress, and share
who they are with the wider community.
This fair couldn’t happen without Dixon,
who oversees the entertainment selection
and coordinates the food and volunteers.
“It’s an opportunity for us to focus on
things outside of our normal sphere,” he
says. “Here in Indiana, here in the U.S.,
we’re becoming increasingly multicultural
and globalized. So we need to have a better
understanding of what life is outside of our
immediate surroundings.”
“The fair serves another purpose,” says Dixon.
Though he advocates strongly for Manchester
students to study abroad, he says the fair is a
good alternative for those who don’t get the
chance. “We can bring other countries to them
in some small way.”
Adds Dixon, “There are people here
from all walks of life. It’s an opportunity
for people to get to know each other and
celebrate different cultures here in northeast
Indiana.”
Nubani agrees. “I thought I knew a lot about
the world when I got to Manchester, but then
I learned I didn’t know as much as I thought
I did.” Nubani says she doesn’t have the time
or money to travel a lot, but the International
Fair is a chance for everyone to travel within
the confines of the PERC. “You can hear the
culture. You can taste the culture. You can feel
the culture.”
By Sarah Farnam ’17
Students served food from 15 countries
from Ethiopia to Mexico to the Philippines.
“(I love) to see people’s expressions and
curiosity when they come to your table,” adds
Nubani, who worked as the student assistant
to Michael Dixon, director of intercultural
services. “Even though you’ve been exhausted
for three days, it’s so worth it when you see
how much people enjoy your cooking.”
This year, dishes ranged from French crepes
to Palestinian imjadara, a dish composed
mostly of rice and lentils with crispy onions
on top. “My favorite were the samosas,” says
Franziska Külbel, an exchange student from
Marburg, Germany. “They were from Uganda,
and they were so good. I’m actually getting
the recipe for them.”
VIDEO
Manchester students (above) celebrate the
International Fair, a biennial event on the
North Manchester campus. Serving food (left)
at last April’s fair is Dagmawit Alemu,
a sophomore from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
See the video at
magazine.manchester.edu
Manchester | 31