International Night 2002
appeals to sold-out crowd
■ Members of the community
flocked to the University event
to get a glimpse of various
cultures from around the world
By Robin Weber
Oregon Daily Emerald
More than 700 students, staff and
community members packed the
sold-out EMU Ballroom on Sunday,
celebrating diversity at the Interna
tional Student Association’s Inter
national Night 2002 “Patches:
Threading our Cultures.”
The crowd began filing into the
EMU Skylight at 5 p.m. for dinner.
They indulged in a smorgasbord of
international cuisine from more
than 20 countries as they herded
down the buffet line.
As the spectators waited in line for
dinner, their whetted appetites were
tempered by upbeat tunes played live
by a Hawaiian band.
“It’s sold out!” program Yuri Aka
hara said with excitement at this year’s
turnout. She and other ISA students
marveled at the success of the event.
“It was our goal to make this the
best International Night ever and to
be creative, have teamwork, stay mo
tivated and have patience,” she said.
Although the University hosts a
litany of cultural happenings, Inter
national Night is one of the few that
brings together so many groups
rather than highlighting a single na
tionality. Its aim — of unification —
makes the evening a standout.
“It’s a chance to realize cultural
differences and kind of a melting
pot for University students” guest
Azra Khaldi said. Khaldi said she at
tends International Night yearly to
learn more about cultures that don’t
host a festival of their own.
The stage show opened just after
8 p.m. with ISA trivia as the audi
ence’s cultural knowledge was chal
lenged — “How many languages are
in India?” Answer: 387. After slide
shows introduced this year’s ISA of
Jonathan House Emerald
International Night dancers perform the ‘Sabor Latino,’ a Cuban salsa number. The dance
was one of 10 performances Sunday as a culmination to International Week.
ficers, the first of the 11 performing
groups brought cultural dance to the
stage, with the Peafowl Dance from
China presented by the Chinese
Student and Scholars Association.
The Peafowl Dance is traditionally
done to express love.
Short skits linked the patches of
the show together with facts about
each country and the significance of
the performances.
One addition to this year’s show
case was Tarachama, an Azerbaijan
dance. Performers Kamil Valiyev
and Mila Ioussiofova, clad in color
ful clothes, left the crowd clapping
to the beat of their rhythmic foot
work. Their performance paved the
way for the tale of Africa’s Hope and
Victory, expressed with songs and
stories. The performances wound to
a close with a fashion show of inter
national apparel.
Why were so many people willing
to wait in line and vie for a good view?
Some guests came out to support the
international programs on campus.
“It’s interesting to try food, see
shows and support my friends,”
student Beth Bienek said.
Others sought to enrich their cul
tural knowledge through their stom
achs. Simply put, they were in it for
the food.
“This year the food was really
worth the money,” Eugene resident
Nathan Fendrih said. “Considering
the number of people to feed, they
do an amazing job,” he said.
E-mail reporter Robin Weber
at robinweber@dailyemerald.com.
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