The International Student  Club will hold their annual Coffeehouse event in the fellowship hall from 6 – 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. The event will feature students from all over the world showcasing dances, songs and presentations representing their own cultures. 

It will also include a potluck before the showcase, which will allow students to share foods and dishes from their home country with each other. Dan Koop Liechty, the international student advisor, said the tradition has been going on for more than 30 years. “It’s an event that people from on-campus and off-campus are engaged in, so it impacts both our college community and local community,” he said. 

Though the event is free and open for anyone to attend, Liechty said, “The charge to go to the dinner is to bring food.” Often, international students bring dishes from their home country to share. Students explore different cultures’ cuisine and learn about the significance of such dishes. It also gives those students who are far from their own home a chance to eat and share the food familiar to them — food which they otherwise don’t often get the opportunity to enjoy.

Caoimhe Farrell, international student club leader and a sophomore communication major, explained that the event also provides international students a space to commune with one another. “We all float around campus,” Farrell said, “but we don’t always interact.” 

She also said that the Coffeehouse is a chance for students to connect and enjoy time together. “You could sit down with a person you’ve never met and have a really wonderful conversation with them about anything. It’s a nice community where you can talk to people you usually wouldn’t and learn something new and also try all this amazing food from different countries,” she said.

For the showcase itself, Liechty said that this year’s performances will include a mix of spoken word, singing, dancing, and presentations about different countries. Some of the countries that will be represented are Ethiopia, New Zealand, Kenya, Nepal and Ireland. There will be a K-pop dance performed by students from the U.S. and India, an alum who will sing a song in Hindi and a student who will be performing a Nepali dance. Another returning activity will be a game of Kahoot for those attending to learn about and participate in trivia about countries around the world. Lastly, there will be a presentation of annual awards for rising senior international students.

Furthermore, Liechty said that attending the event is a great chance to show support to international students. Farrell agreed and said, “it gives a great opportunity for friends of internationals who don’t fully know that much, to learn, to try that food, to be able to say a word in someone’s language. It’s so powerful without [someone] even realizing it.” 

She also explained that the event can be a comfort for those students who haven’t been home in a long time. “A friend of mine just went home for the first time in three years,” Farrell said, “and she hadn’t seen her family or her home country, so trying [her home country] food can give a sense of belonging.” 

This annual event is an opportunity for the community to show support and interest in others’ culture, as well as educate themselves on the different traditions that these international students share.