The Battalion
LIFESTYLES
4
Thursday, March 1, 1990
Lifestyles Editor Mary-Lynne Rice 845-;
rN
Bringingdown the barrier
T
exas A&M students have
been able to discover the
world this week while
staying in College Station,
says Diana Galindo, president
of the International Students
Association.
This week is International
Week at A&M, an event de
signed to give people the op
portunity to experience the
cultures of other nations.
“They can visit over 50
countries without paying
money or leaving A&M,” Gal
indo says.
This year’s theme is “Bring
ing Down the Barriers: The
Age of Unity.” Galindo says
that by showing crafts, music,
and food of different coun
tries, International Week pro
motes cultural awareness.
Jennifer Abraham, vice-
president of the Lebanese Stu
dents Association and a mem
ber of the International Week
publicity team, says the theme
represents all the changes tak
ing place internationally.
“Democracy is taking over
in many places in the world,”
Abraham says, “and this
theme symbolizes the unifica
tion of people and of govern
ments.”
Galindo, a senior speech
communications major from
Bolivia, says the barriers be
tween people of different
countries result from a lack of
communication, awareness
and understanding. Interna
tional Week is a way of bring
ing down those barriers, she
says.
“If you’re not aware of dif
ferent cultures, it causes con
flict,” she says. “If you are
aware, then there aren’t any
problems.”
International Week is espe
cially important for American
students, Galindo says, be
cause it shows them the differ
ences in the world and edu
cates them about those
differences in order to create
understanding.
The week’s activities have
included cultural displays, an
art exhibit, and an interna
tional buffet.
On Monday and Tuesday,
students set up display booths
for cultural artifacts from their
countries. Works of art by in
ternational students reflecting
their ideas of cultural heritage
also were displayed in the
MSC Flag Room.
And on Wednesday, stu
dents from 34 nations prepared
a buffet offering samples of
traditional food from their
home countries.
Galindo says the buffet is
one of International Week’s
most memorable activities
each year. Students get an al
lowance to cook three dishes
that will feed l ,000 people.
A round table discussion on
education will begin at 8 to
night in Rudder Auditorium.
Galindo says the forum gives
students the opportunity to ex
change opinions and informa
tion about the impact educa
tion hfas on world integration.
The forum will begin with a
panel presentation featuring
history professor Dr. Betty
Unterberger, agricultural engi
neering professor Dr. Bill
Stout, and Dr. Dean Corrigan,
former dean of education.
Their presentation will be fol
lowed by small group dis
cussions led by faculty moder
ators .
International Week ends
Friday with a talent show and
traditional dress parade, which
Galindo calls the highlight of
the week’s activities. The
event consists of 24 acts, with
fashion exhibitions between
each act.
More than 400 international
students will participate in the
show, and Galindo says their
enthusiasm makes it the most
exciting event each year.
“Everyone is so proud of
their culture and the chance to
bring it to A&M,” she says.
Galindo says that Friday
evening’s activities will show
what International Week is
meant to accomplish. To pro
duce the show, all students in
volved must transcend the bar
riers of language and culture.
“That they can work to
gether to produce a show,” she
says, “is proof that all nations
can work together success
fully.”
Galindo says the talent
show is not just a show, but a
bridge to the world and that it
opens windows to different
music, dance, and dress.
A special feature of this
year’s International Week is
the Estudiantina, the strolling
band of Mexico’s La Salle
University. The all-male band,
comprised of high school and
university students, has toured
throughout the world.
“The Estudiantina is like the
Corps of Cadets is here,” Gal
indo says, “a very proud tradi
tion of the universities.”
The International Students
Association has worked for the
past nine weeks to pull every
thing together, Galindo says,
and some groups started even
earlier, constructing booths
and practicing dances.
In all, more than 1,000 stu
dents representing more than
50 countries, have been in
volved in organizing Interna
tional Week activities.
The talent show and tradi
tional dress parade will begin
at 8 p.m. in Rudder Audito
rium. Tickets are available for
$3.50 at Rudder Box Office.
The art exhibits will be dis
played through March 7 in
Rudder Exhibit Hall.
Photos of International Week
cultural display by
JAY JANNER
Story by
M. ELAINE HORN
Rudy Romangsuria, a student from Indonesia, plays a gamelon set, a traditional Indonesian instrument