Even with months of preparation, the search for dishes from around the world and various meetings, the International Fair, held Tuesday, Nov. 3, seemed to come together with ease, and it attracted a generous amount of students and faculty.
“I feel that the event was a success and we were able to manage time, space and resources,” said Andre Siffert, international recruitment and student services counselor. “The event was perfect; we had a great crowd of people and we were able to increase commuters’ attendance.”
The menu consisted of cuisine from 22 different countries, from Sweden to Poland and Norway to Ghana, Philippines and Japan.
An estimated 400 people attended, and there was no shortage of food. The Student Union was divided into regions with decorations representative of those countries.
The Inti Raymi Band provided uplifting background music and a PowerPoint presentation that contained interesting facts about the region. It included information about the other countries with pictures and a display of the thousands of victims of the typhoons in the Philippines. Jars were placed around the tables for kind donations.
“Everything is great; the food, the music,” said junior Eboni French during her first time experiencing the International Fair.
A large list of volunteers, including the International Student Association, International Student Services, South Asian Student Association, Sodexho, Black Student Union, Latin American Student Organization, Muslim Student Association, Multicultural Student Services, the Office of Student Development and Leadership, the Student Organization Resource Center, Residence Life and the Lewis University tennis and baseball teams led the efforts. “This event could not have been done without their support,” said Siffert.
The sufficient amount of volunteers gave participants enough time to share conversations with the international students and answer questions about the dishes and cultures.
Senior Kellie Griffin believes “it is a good idea to expose Lewis to different cultures.” She has attended the fair every year.
President James Gaffney, FSC, remarked that the fair was a “richness of the campus.” He also commented on the excellent leadership, enthusiasm and creativity of the event and how it provides a “spirit of community.”
Since there was an astounding number of participants this year, the fair will move to a new location.
We [decided] next year we’ll move the event to a bigger venue,” said Siffert. “We talked about using the Chapel, Field House or even the Airport hangar.”
With the pictures, demographics and decorations, along with the food, presentations and support, Gaffney concluded that the “tradition only gets better every year.”
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