Erin Osborne | Collegian
“Everyone should try Filipino pork,” sophomore Olivia Hajicek said at the International Club’s Cultural Fair.
The International Cultural Fair took place on Sunday, March 27 in the Grewcock Student Union. The fair shares the culture of various countries that are represented on campus.
“We get students who have either moved to America from other countries, students who have lived elsewhere, like military or missionary kids, or students with international heritage to do presentations on their country,” club president and sophomore Charis Linton said.
Nations represented in this year’s presentation included Bahrain, China, Iceland, Japan, Kenya, the Philippines, Romania, South Korea, and Taiwan.
“The goal is to help the American side of campus get to know the countries that are represented on campus,” Linton said.
Booths included a poster, an assortment of food, and other items from the country represented. Students at the booths also told stories about their country.
“Seeing people in their cultural outfits is always really fun.The food is interesting,” Linton said.“But the best thing that the cultural fair does is get the international students together to share their culture with the American students.It’s a little taste of each country that you see on campus.”
Among these foods were tesoro —- Filipino pork — and Hi-Chew, a Japanese candy.
“The Romania booth had some interesting stories about Dracula and werewolves, which are based on Romanian rulers,” Hajicek said. “I also loved hearing the stories about Bahrain, and the Kenyan girls sang a Kenyan song that was beautiful. Cedella Odiara grabbed my hand and taught me a dance as well. That was really fun.”
For students who have never been abroad, the fair provided a chance to learn about the world and their peers.
“I’ve lived in the same Midwestern county for my entire life, and so getting to experience and understand other cultures is special for me,” Hajicek said. “We have so many students who are from other countries, and it’s cool to be able to connect with the international students and to understand that part of what they’re bringing to Hillsdale.”
Some of the booths included interactive elements.
“Nickaylah Sampson had pieces of paper and would write out everybody’s name in the South Korean language: Hangul,” Hajicek said. Sampson explained that Hangul is considered the easiest writing system in the world to learn.
The International Club works to connect students from around the world, and the cultural fair is an extension of that.
“The more the merrier,” Hajicek said. “If anyone has a culture that they want to share, this is a really cool opportunity to share your culture and a lot of people on campus would love to see that and learn more about it.”
This year, juniors Rachel Harvey, Paul Trainor, and Marie Raffin ran a Filipino booth for the first time.
“I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to answer questions, but I enjoyed seeing what people were curious about,” Harvey said. “I got a lot of questions about the tarsier monkey in particular, which is one of the smallest types of monkeys. It has huge eyes and is only found in the Bohol region of the Philippines.”
For Harvey, it was a treat to be able to make the foods that she grew up with.
“I always enjoy adobo, tesino, and sticky rice, and I haven’t been able to have that here,” Harvey said. “We’re hoping to have a Halo-halo bar in the future.”
Halo-halo is a popular Filipino dessert made of condensed milk, sweet beans, fruit, and ube, which is a Filipino sweet potato.
“It has many exotic flavors that aren’t common in the West, and I would love to bring that experience to the cultural fair,” Harvey said. “We’re very excited to participate in the Cultural Fair again next year.”