International Week – best yet!
Wed, 16 Mar 2016 18:33:00 GMT
“…it’s a great opportunity for our students to make new friends and learn about different cultures…”
NATIONALITIES from around the world celebrated the much-anticipated International Week, where a week-long programme of events rejoiced the many different cultures and nationalities the University has on campus.
Now in its sixth-year, the numbers attending the festivities has grown year-on-year. The week acts as an annual highlight on the student calendar.
Open to staff and students the full programme of events gave people the opportunity to get involved with sports tournaments, food festivals, film festivals, cultural events, workshops, support, advice, trips and prizes.
Throughout the week, the International Film Festival showed films from around the world, hosted by the University’s international student societies and sponsored by the International Office. Among the many movies shown were the Harry Potter film The Philosopher’s Stone, from the British Cultural Society, and Anna Karenina, hosted by students from Russia.
One of the biggest attractions was the International Food and Culture Festival which was an evening packed full of different performances from around the world and was hosted in the University’s Quayside.
Students hosted their own tables of food from around the world and performed on stage with songs, dance, games, fashion and instruments.
Laura Broome is a British Contemporary Art student and she explained what she loved about International Week.
“As a British student, it is good for me to find out about other cultures,” said Laura. “I can get an insight into what it is like for my international friends back in their home countries and I enjoy tasting the food at the International Food and Culture Festival and exploring the new tastes. I also like to find out what other cultures eat as a typical meal and what that is like for them.”
The week also saw the return of the ever-popular International Fashion Show, which was free admission and again took place in Quayside.
The University currently welcomes over 3,000 international students from approximately 125 countries, which brings an international dimension to the University as well as the town itself.
“The event has become a major part of the University’s events calendar,” said Festival Co-ordinator and University International Student Experience Manager Alan Tobi. “I am always overwhelmed at the passion, commitment and effort the students put into International Week and it’s a great opportunity for our students to make new friends and learn about different cultures.”
- You can view highlights of this year’s International Food and Culture Festival by watching the video.
