Owens Campus hosts International Festival
Delaware Technical Community College presents its annual Global Understanding International Festival where students from all over the world brought food to sample from their native countries on March 29, at the Owens Campus.
International students who study at Delaware Tech gathered together for the celebration, cooked their special dishes for others to taste, and exchange their cultures. In addition, students from different countries performed traditional songs and dances, and some dressed in traditional clothes from their culture.
ESL instructor Allison Castellanos welcomed all the participants and the audience who came to celebrate the International Festival and enjoy the performances by foreign students.
The event was sponsored by the International Club and was free to the public. Everyone had a chance to try various food from other countries.
International Educational coordinator Amy Russell said, “It’s like a way for other people to see the students here at Delaware Tech who are from other countries.”
Russell said most of the ESL students reside in Sussex County but wish to share the countries of their birth.
“They do have an interesting culture and they can bring their food in and their dancing, and some of them singing, and it will give other people a chance to experience where they are from and what they are bringing to the Sussex County area,” Russell said.
One of the students made a special dish that her grandmother taught her how to make and was so excited for other people to try their traditional cuisine.
Russell said that one of the students made a special trip all the way to Washington, DC in order to bring a real Turkish baklava.
ESL student Ufuk Yilmaz said, “I bought this baklava from Turkish restaurant in Washington because they make really delicious food, and baklava is one of the most famous deserts in Turkey.”
Russell said, “I think a lot of us have that dish that is in our family that we like to share with other people, and this is an opportunity to do that.”
People sample international food prepared by students at Delaware Tech. Photo by O. Kochegura.
International students’ artwork displays during Global Understanding event. O. Kochegura
International students prepare food for the Global Understanding International Festival at Delaware Tech. Video by O. Kochegura