On Friday, Feb. 28, the Bicknell Center for the Arts and the International Student Association hosted the International Showcase, an evening to showcase some of the world’s cultures, hosted by some of Pittsburg State’s International Students. In the lobby of the Bicknell Center, students put together posters and tables about their home countries, and taught visitors about their cultures.
Twelve different countries across five continents were on display at these booths. For South America, students from Brazil and Paraguay had tables. At the Paraguayan table, students could learn about Paraguay’s culture and enjoy chipa, a type of bread made with anise seeds that is a very common sight at breakfast in Paraguay. At Brazil’s table, students could learn about Brazilian culture with games.
“We basically have a memory game here, which shows some flags from Brazil,” Pedro Bortolotti explains, a junior finance major. Bortolotti, who hails from the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo, which borders Rio De Janeiro, also showed a video featuring popular foods in Brazil, such as coxinha, a teardrop-shaped ball of fried dough, filled with chicken and cream cheese, and açai, a fruit that can be found growing on palm trees in the Amazon Rainforest.
Another continent that had tables on display was Asia, where five different countries where represented- China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Cambodia. Each table showcased different objects from their country’s cultures, such as Chinese teapots, Korean candies, a tri-fold poster depicting the different aspects of Indian culture, from geography and currency to religion and foods, and the Japanese art of origami. At the table for Cambodia, colorful stickers depicting the country of Cambodia were laid out for visitors to take, with senior computer science major You E Kry there to present her country’s traditions.
“I am showing almost everything, our food, and our location, especially the temple, Angkor Wat” Kry said. Angkor Wat is the largest religious temple in the world, with Hinduism being practiced originally before Buddhism became practiced at the temple. Angkor Wat is located in the province of Siem Reap, which is a little over five hours way from Cambodia’s capital of Phnom Penh, and almost exactly four hours away from Kry’s home in the province of Kampong Cham.
Oceania also had a table at the Showcase, that being for the country of Palau. Oceania is divided into four realms- Australasia, Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia, the last of which is the subregion Palau belongs to. Adora Ililau, a native of Airai, which is a 16-minute drive away from the nation’s capital, Ngerulmud, was there to present her country’s traditions.
“I am showing you our knives and our hairpieces for the woman,” Ililau explained. The knives, which were in wooden sheathes with traditional Palauan designs etched into them, are an essential part of life in Palau, as the knives are used for cooking and hunting, while the headpieces for women are used as a status symbol, as Palauan leadership is generally held by women, with the headpieces symbolizing wealth and Palau’s matrilineal rule.