International Student Union hosts annual International Dinner where domestic and international students learn and connect with one another.
The International Dinner’s first performer was unable to attend because of the death of a loved one from the terrorist attacks in Paris.
Instead, the event began with a moment of silence for those who were killed in the attacks in Beirut and Paris.
“We celebrate good times, we get together in hard times,” Hashim Pashtun, the president of the International Student Union, said. “I think you can see (that) in this room. One of our performers was affected too, and she was not able to perform. So, this is the kind of thing that makes us a global community and make us global citizens.”
However, this tragedy did not stop domestic and international students from learning about different cultures and heritages.
Both international and domestic students attended the annual International Dinner, where they could interact, eat international cuisine made by students and watch different performances with more than 48 different countries represented.
The event took place in Baker Ballroom, where lights were dimmed and projections of white branches were shown in the corners of the ballroom. The tables were organized by regions of the world with name tags such as Africa, Asia and South America.
Ticket holders mingled with each other for the first fifteen minutes.
The dinner continued with performances from both international and domestic students. Nawaf Abolola and Marilin Guitierreze performed a Bachata dance and Mohammad Gholami and Iman Ghalehkohondabi played a sitar and djembe. The Tempo Tantrums ended the performances singing “Sledgehammer” by Fifth Harmony and “Boy” by Little Mix, marking the first-year that domestic students have performed in the International Dinner.
Tori Lang, a sophomore studying international business and management information systems, said her favorite was the drum and sitar because some people do not hear it often.
“I think (the International Dinner) allows people to open up their minds and experience things that they wouldn’t normally experience,” Lang said. “It’s actually common to find people who don’t want to travel outside of the U.S., so for those people, this is a good way for them to experience and get more involved culturally if they don’t necessarily want to travel.”
After the performances ended, ticket holders lined up to eat more than 21 different dishes made by cultural student organizations. Some of the dishes available were kabsa made by the Omani Students Association, okonomiyaki from Japan and beef rendang from Indonesia. For dessert, many could try dorayaki, and Japanese confection, baklava made by the Iranian Student Association and klepon, rice cakes, from Indonesia.
“I feel International Dinner is not about having food from all around the world,” Pashtun, a graduate student studying civil engineering, said. “It’s about celebrating diversity. It’s about having people from different cultures, different countries, different languages, sitting in one room. And this is the best opportunity for us to communicate, to interact, to explore each other.”
Pashtun said the International Student Union began planning the event at the beginning of Fall Semester, and it required a lot of preparation.
“The students who put it on always take the time and put the effort and hard work to make it a great event,” Giles Allen, an Ohio University alumnus said. “Every year is always different and unique, but it’s always fun. (International Student Union) is a great organization, and they always work hard to put on good events like that.”
International Dinner served as the kickoff for International Education Week, which will hold several events relating to education abroad opportunities and global awareness.
“(International Education Week is not) about raising awareness but also calling to action,” Lorna Jean Edmonds, Vice Provost for Global Affairs and International Studies, said.
Edmonds said the events throughout the week will challenge students to be understanding and culturally sensitive when it comes to moving forward and coming together.
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