Tonight, Ohio University international students and American students will share the most memorable moment of Halloween holidays: pumpkin carving.
The Association for Cultural Exchange, sponsored by the International Student Union, will play host to its annual Halloween party. Here, American students will share their tradition of pumpkin carving with international peers.
The ACE is an OU student organization that promotes interaction between American students and international students by pairing them. The event provides those pairs with a good opportunity to spend their time together, said Angela Germano, the president of the ACE.
We want to show international students parts of American cultures
so we are...carving pumpkins for Halloween Germano said.The event is open to the public and all materials, including knives, spoons and pumpkins, will be provided. The ACE officers will walk around the room and teach pumpkin carving to each participant.
The ACE has played host to this event since 2003, and the average number of participants is around 30, according to Germano. The ratio of domestic and international students at the party is normally one-to-one.
Germano said she hopes the guests will meet different people and learn about different cultures through the event.
Jane Palmer, the advisor of the ACE, remembers that one of the students began to carve words instead of the traditional faces in 2004, which she found as a very linguistic moment.
I am always interested to see what students create when they are not feeling the need to stay within traditional cultural parameters Palmer said.
The party will also feature an apple tasting. Guests can taste six different types of apples with caramel and nuts and apple cider, Palmer said.
The ACE Halloween Party will take place today at 7 p.m. in Gordy 113. The event is free.
17
Archives
Keita Mochizuki
