Members of the Olé at Virginia Tech flamenco club perform at International Day. The group is dedicated to studying the art and performance of flamenco and other Spanish dance. Meeting weekly, the group performs throughout the semester, is open to all students, and many classes are conducted in Spanish.
Castanets and curry, paper lanterns and K-pop, incense and ice cream, maps and smiling people, the Cranwell International Center ‘s International Day street fair brought together university clubs and community and student groups representing 30 nations.
Performances demonstrated traditional clothes, dance and music. Booths sold crafts, championed university language and culture clubs and played games.
Long lines at food trucks like Thai This, Las Delicias Taqueria y pupuseria, and Homestead Ice Cream served local international fare.
“The International Street Fair has always been, and continues to be, all about showcasing the rich diversity that international students bring to the Virginia Tech campus and the broader community,” David Clubb, Cranwell International Center’s director. “Right here in our backyard in southwestern Virginia, there are nearly 4,000 international students enrolled at Virginia Tech, representing over 100 countries. “
Hisyam Mohsin from Batu Pahat, Jahor Malaysia is the vice president of “Mozaiko,” the living learning community at the Cranwell International Center. Mozaiko brings together US and international students “sharing experiences, practicing languages and engaging in intercultural dialogue.” Mohsin is a civil engineering student working in drinking water protection. Graduating next month, he’ll continue his graduate work here in Blacksburg.
Ethan Obenrader (right) a freshman studying German and senior Tim Stark (l) man the VT German Club table. Stark, studying both German and economics, has eight years of language training “under my belt” he said.. Planning to work as a market analyst, he’s looking forward to living in Berlin or Dusseldorf, “I have a hunch my ancestors are from there,” Stark said. As a VT freshman, Obenrader has studied German for six years and recommends learning a foreign language. “Europe’s doing it right,” he said. “Its important for everybody to be able to communicate with each other.” And “It’s good for the brain,” Stark added.
The Hill and Veil Belly Dancing troupe performed with finger-cymbals called “zill”, diaphanous veils, jingling anklets, sequins, and voluminous sweeps of pleated red, blue, opal, and gold cloth raised on sticks like butterfly wings on the tarmac of the Squires Building parking lot.
Odiney Alvarez is a graduate student in Crop and Soil Science pursuing research aimed at identifying organic soil amendments for urban soils. Alvarez is from Costa Rica and a dancer since childhood (her mother is a dance teacher) “I do this to relax, she said in bare feet, big gold trousers and a sequined top preparing to perform a number of dances from North Africa and the Middle East.
Fewer than two percent of US students study abroad each year, but having international students on campuses is one way that the other 98 percent might be able “to engage with others who are culturally and linguistically different, thus better preparing all students for a globalized world,” Clubb said.
In its 59th year, the celebration of diversity is not new at Virginia Tech and it’s events like this work to prepare students for a lifetime of intercultural leadership and an amazing opportunity to engage with and learn from a diverse community the organizer, Cranwell International Center said.
International Street Fair is a major annual event one of many programs. The Cranwell International Center’s mission is to “articulate, advocate, and act in support of international students, amplifying their contributions to the Virginia Tech community and to advance of the university as more globally oriented and internationally connected.”
For more information visit https://international.vt.edu/.
