Dinner showcases global culture
Published Sept. 19, 2006
Hundreds of students from around the world crammed into Memorial Union's Stotler Lounge for an evening of free food, entertainment and cultural exchange on Saturday night. The dinner, which was open to international students in all levels of study, was the biannual International Students Welcome Party.
The evening is the product of a joint effort by the International Programming Committee and the Missouri International Student Center.
"We're working on a lot of collaboration between groups," Senior IPC Chairwoman Persephone Dakopolos said.
There were about 100 more people than last year's 600 guests, Dakopolos said.
Several clubs set up booths around the perimeter of the lounge, including the African Student Association, the MU International Club, the Mizzou Martial Arts Club, the Cultural Association of India and the Thai Students Association.
The evening was a big night for the Thai Student Association, said Chatchai Pinthuprapa, president of the organization.
"We want foreigners to know about Thailand and who we are," Pinthuprapa said. "We want them to understand real Thai people and culture — a lot don't know the real Thai."
Mizzou Martial Arts Club members came to promote the organization and meet international students.
"We came to get some people interested in Tae Kwon Do," said Sami Hotchkiss, an instructor of martial arts classes at the Student Recreation Complex.
The Mizzou Martial Arts Club was one of several groups that provided entertainment for the evening. Students from the Monday and Wednesday classes performed a series of moves including kicks, blocks and demonstrated the complicated Young Gong, a one-step fighting form.
Several other groups participated in the evening's entertainment. The African Student Association performed three African-Christian songs, and the Thai Student Association performed a Southern Thai dance. The Bombay Rockers also performed a traditional Indian dance. In between performances, gift certificates to local restaurants were given out to audience members for dance and air guitar competitions.
Dakopolos also used the opportunity to mention upcoming IPC events, such as the Mystical Arts of Tibet, where monks will create a sand painting outside Memorial Union for three days beginning Tuesday. The event is free and open to the public.
Dakopolos also said that the IPC will give out a $1,000 voucher for a plane ticket to anywhere in the world at the end of the semester. To be eligible, a student must go to the International Bazaar on Sept. 28 at Lowry Mall and pick up a passport stamp book from the IPC booth and attend all IPC events during the semester.