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Bringing other cultures to ttC
COMMUNITY AND CULTURE JOINED TOGETHER AT INTERNATIONAL WEEK
STORY AND PHOTO BY WILLIAM FARRIS
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THE CLACKAMAS PRINT
Friends# food and hew experiences came
again to QCC at th e International Week
event. The annual eelebration o f culture is
hosted in the Community Center where every
day it saw a new country in the spotlight
with traditional food and a fun audience-
involved peffori^free from talented people
in the cQ^muhifjrand beyond.
This year, theMulticultural Center ran the
festivities, andthey strived to put their best
foot forward for the week-long evenC Two
organizers', student Daniela Leao and staffer
Xiao Tan, h id nothing but big smiles., and
positive energy when asked their thoughts
on the evertt?
“ We Just want to bring
awareness about the
different cultures;
especially cultures that
are here in Portland.”
-D a n ie la Leao
“We just want to bring awareness about
the different cultures; especially cultures
that are here in Portland as well,” said Leao.
Tan, the staff leader o f the Multicultural
Center, hud an equally upbeat m essage
saying,
[ It’s] b asically a w eek to
celebra,ted ifferen t cultures. We wanted to
bring minority cultures that haven’t been
celebrated idp campus before.”
Day one o f the event saw a wonderful meal
of stewed- ipeat and vegetables seasoned to
a delectable perfection over rice. The sweet
taste of the lime cakes could kick the taste
buds o f even the pickièsfleàters-w ith its
perfect balance o f sweetness and creamy
cake like textùre.
T
These experiences arenali set to the
background o f stories àndL dance from a
beautifully voiced woman from the West
A frican nation o f G h a n a .H e r b u b b ly
personality was truly infectious as many
audience members couldn’t help dancing
to thè rhythm and follow ing her lead in
traditional-dancing set to a sharp drum beat.
Many people felt reluctant and awkward at
first to join in, but soon enough, even people
with two left feet couldn’t help but find the
fun steps and infectious rhythm. There were
even moments of bittersweet goodbyes from
the group as some had to leave for classes.
While not all joined in to dance, almost
everyone in the room lent an ear to some of
the cultural stories she told at the beginning
and end of her performance. These stories
ranged from thought-provoking tales that
made one ponder to light-hearted comedic
stories that lit up the room with laughter
and ended the day on a high note.
Day two saw more delicious food and
music from Peru, including bowls full of rich
cheesy potatoes with rice and onions that
were a perfect blend of sweet and creamy
flavors. It was capped off with a dessert of
cinnamon buns with a sugary filling and
shaved coconut with powdered sugar on top.
The entertainment for that day took the
form of. a class to learn how to play the
cajón, or box drum. The lively classjvas full
o f dancing and drumming as the instructor
led everyone in attendance through the
basics o f how to play. At the beginning,
many had trouble keeping up with the fast
and skilled drumming of the teacher, but by
the end of the session everyone was having
fun drumming along and im provising to
the beat.
People from across campus and all social
classes came and enjoyed the festivities and
had a fun time learning and talking about
the cultures on display. Many people who
came had good things to say about the events
and shows.
“It was a fine opportunity to experience
a culture that is otherwise not seen very
often in the Pacific Northwest,” said Johan
Ceasáre Aria.
Even people who didn’t get a chance to
participate in the performances had nothing
but smiles about the week.
“I just think the whole thing is really cool,
how for a week we kind of get a glimpse
at different cultures that there are,” said
Rachel Morgan while having lunch during
one of the events.
U nfortunately, International Week has
come and gone for this semester and won’t be
back again for a while, but the multicultural
club’s doors are always open if you want to
learn more or get involved.
I f this story has piqued your interest,
tantalized your taste buds, or made you even
the smallest bit curious, then stop by the next
International Week for more enlightening
experiences.
Clackamas CC Bookstore
Oregon City Campus Hours (Main Store)
December 4 - 8,2017
M onday - Wednesday, 7:45 am - 6:00 pm
Thursday, 7:45 am - 5:00 pm
Friday, 8:30 am - 2:30 pm
Harmony Campus Hours
Monday - Wednesday, 9:00 am -1 :0 0 pm, 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Thursday & Friday, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Daniela Leao of Brazil and Xiao Tan of China show where they are from on the
map in-the Community Center.
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NOVEMBER 2 2 , 2017