The Tripod

Last week, Trinity College's International House held its first International Culture Festival. Running from Wednesday, March 3, to Saturday, March 6, the festival incorporated various cultures through performances, dining options, and presentations.

International House members created the festival last semester, and the specifics were finalized earlier this semester. The organizers received help from Director of the Blume Language and Culture Learning Center Dr. Eduardo Lage-Otero and Graduate Fellow in German Julia Goesser, as well as Program Coordinator of International Students and Scholars Tamara Kribs.

The planning of the festival was done by a vast array of Trinity organizations, including members of the International House, The Asian American Student Association (AASA), The House of Peace, The Tree House, Hillel, The Italian Club, and The Latin Dance Club, as well as various students and faculty members.

The four-day event was kicked off by a workshop organized by Assistant Professor of Music Dr. Eric Galm and the Trinity College Samba Ensemble. Participants were taught basic samba rhythms, and food ordered from Brazil Grill was served.

Throughout the festival numerous other professors and faculty members helped organize performances and events. Graduate Fellow in French Noah Sabich played bocce ball throughout the

meal, with the help of German exchange student Julia Renz.

Friday, March 5, Principal Lecturer in Language and Culture Studies and International Studies Rieko Wagoner and Jamie Gale '10 held a Japanese cooking class where students could learn how to make the Japanese dish yakisoba. Also on that day Graduate Fellow in Hispanic Studies Rafael Osuna-Montanez taught students how to cook salmorejo, a tomato soup from Spain.

Besides events planned by professors, there were a variety of programs put together by Trinity students. Elsie Arce '12 and Carlos Miranda '12 performed a dance on behalf of the Latin Dance Club. Another dance came from Monica Rodriguez '13 and Sonia Zarco, who performed a type of Flamenco known as a Sevillanas. Other students also performed a Japanese skit.

Along with performances, participants in the festival also were offered opportunities to view presentations by students. During the bratwurst dinner Hazel Han '10 presented a slideshow of her experiences studying abroad in Germany. The Italian Club presented a virtual tour of Florence, and Lianjiang Lu '13 and Han Wu '13 gave a lecture on the spiritual side and philosophy behind Kung Fu.

Two of the larger parts of the festival were parties thrown for students. A Purim Party was hosted at the Hillel house, to celebrate the traditional Jewish Purim festival. The final event of the festival was an Afro Disco Mocktail Mixup, a dance party with mocktail drinks from Africa organized by Cecil Tengatenga '11.

On Friday, March 5, many students showed up to the festival dressed in the traditional outfits of their native countries. Throughout the evening, they would give short speeches about their outfits' significance.

The largest event, the Korean Cultural Day, took place on the last day of the festival in the Vernon Social Center. Hazel Han '10 helped plan the event with the Korean Language and Cultural Education Institution, marking the first time that the International House has collaborated with an organization outside of Trinity. The afternoon consisted of performances that incorporated both students and the Hartford community.

"The Korean Cultural Day was an event meant to expose the Korean culture through various instruments, games (such as Gongginori, Yutnori, and Jaegichagi), food (kimbap, kimchi, yak-sik), and performances," said Kara Tan '12, "A lot of people from the Hartford community, as well as students from Trinity, enjoyed this beautiful event while learning more about their background within the Asian society."

The Korean Cultural Day also consisted of a student-organized dinner made up of a Vietnamese appetizer, Chinese dinner, and Burmese dessert.

Funding for the International Cultural Festival came primarily from the International House's programming budget given by the Student Government Association, in addition to a Faculty-in-residence program budget. Events put together by other organizations on campus were funded through the separate organizations' programming budgets. The Tree House also provided eco-friendly plates and utensils for all meals throughout the festival.

Members of the International House were pleased with their first festival, and plan on making it an annual event.

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