International Fair Brings Food, Entertainment, Learning to MU Campus

By Tony Rutherford
Huntington News Network Columnist

Huntington (HNN) -- Marshall University kicked off International Education Week with the 38th annual International Festival featuring a sampling of foods, flags, culture and entertainment from South America to the Far East.

The booths at the Don Morris Room remained jammed with visitors two hours after the official opening.

Although reasons for participating in and visiting the fair varied, all came open to learning and sharing other cultures. Everyone enjoyed themselves in a room of diversity, which tactfully raises a rhetorical question: Why can’t we do this all over the world?

SAFE TO STUDY HERE

Soo Im Jung, a 20-year-old English as Second Language student from South Korea came to Huntington because “there are many forests, it is not dangerous, it’s comfortable and there are many kind people.” Jung plans to stay for a year, but may extend her studies if the opportunity occurs.

Likewise, Kanako Hirao, a senior from Japan, was looking for a school in the United States. “Someone told me Huntington was safe,” she said. Ms. Hirao was later introduced to Marshall through Miho Egnor, wife of Dr. Clark Egnor, executive director of the Center for International Programs. Majoring in family and child development, Hirao plans to return home following graduation. “But my goal is to travel the world and save kids,” she said.

Mari Kariya, who has only been in the U.S. for five months, feels comfortable here now. The Japanese woman came to Huntington to teach languages at Cabell-Midland High School and to take graduate courses at Marshall. “People here are so friendly, easy to talk to and willing to help me,” she said.

Wearing a long gray beard, Victor Fet, a MU biology professor, immigrated year ago to America from Russia looking for “freedom and success.” Although his parents visit frequently, he has only been back to his homeland only once since the communist dictatorship thawed. Assessing the state of Russia now, he conjectured, “things change [but] I’m not sure they change in a good direction.” Fet explained that Russian people like freedom, but the “economy doesn’t enjoy very much from this freedom.”

VOLUNTEER SUFFERED GENDER ROLE “SHOCK” IN MOLDAVA

At the Peace Corps booth, Nichole Sheets, a 27-year-old Huntington native who just returned to the Tri-State from Moldova handed out brochures. Sheets, who writes a monthly column for the Herald-Dispatch, said that from her first steps in the small, poor country near Romania, people were hospitable.

“My second night in the country I was staying in the same house with two parents, three children and two houseguests. They prepared a wonderful meal for me. I didn’t know any Romanian; they didn’t know any English. I already felt welcome in their home,” Sheets said.

However, she quickly found herself adjusting to traditional European gender roles, which did not approve of America’s grungy styles of jeans and sweats. “One thing Moldavians are very fashionable people. Even though it’s the poorest country in Europe, people spend a lot of money on what they wear and a lot of time on how they look. I was teaching my first summer there and my host mother wouldn’t let me out of the house if I had a wrinkled skirt on. She said that I iron everything. I don’t even own an iron! As Americans we had to be a little more conscious of looking professional and dressing more nicely.”

Asked whether feminine fashion related to gender roles, she responded, “That’s a very astute observation. A lot of women want a career [there], but most every woman wants a husband. They put a lot of attention on what they wear and looking pretty in hopes that they’ll meet a guy at the university or disco.” Although women in the small country are marrying later, “there’s still the competition for a good husband and an impulse when you enter your early 20s to start a family. By their standards, I’m kind of an ‘old maid’ [at 27]. Almost all of the women were dating someone seriously or married.”

Yet, whether in Europe or America, the women still complained about their husbands and boyfriends. According to Sheets, “Almost all of my students were women… [They] had to do all the cooking, cleaning and taking care of kids. Some work outside [the home], but [their husband’s] expect the inside to be done.”

Although she volunteered there during the Iraq conflict, Sheets said, “I never felt like a target. People were able to distinguish between me as an American and America the country. There were well over 100 Peace Corps volunteers and I think they had similar reactions. There was a lot of curiosity, but no animosity.”

AMERICANS CAME FOR….THE FOOD!

As for American students and professors visiting the fair, most cited food, learning and harmony as reasons for attending.

“I enjoy learning about different cultures and the food,” Leslie Woods, a senior Spanish/Elementary Education major explained.
Doug Evans, sophomore biology major, added, “I think it’s nice to see everyone --- the international students, the faculty, and the staff --- together.” He complimented the organizers, “I went last year and this year there’s a lot more food.”

Entertainment ranged from a Japanese Concert Performance to Tanzanian dance and Latin dances such as the Samba and Salsa.
Jorge Murillo, an MU grad student from Ecuador, agreed that the crowd was larger than last year. Murillo brought a multi-media presentation about his country and Espo University. He encourages everyone to visit Ecuador which features “the most bio-diversity in the world. You can find all kinds of species, plus the Galapagos Islands, beaches, an accessible area of the Amazon rain forest, and the best banana in the world.”

A group of Japanese Anime fans --- the Anime and Manga Society --- also had a booth where they passed out brochures explaining their upcoming meetings, which always include a selected DVD. Although an officially recognized MU group, it’s open to anyone who likes Anime.

Summarizing the event, Ramchandra Akkihal, professor of finance and economics said, “Every year the cultures come together, bring a taste of customs and dress to Huntington.” He continued that the event continues to grow “thanks to the fantastic work of Clark Egnor, the director.”

View pictures from Marshall's International fair here.