Join the Wesley community this week, November 14-18, for events in celebration of International Education Week.

 

International Education Week is a joint initiative of the U.S. Departments of Education and State in which participating schools, colleges, universities, and community organizations around the country celebrate the benefits of understanding the world around us. It is an ideal opportunity to celebrate global learning, foreign languages and international exchange and education. 

 

Alice K. Davis, Director of International Student Services, has coordinated the week’s events because she says, “We believe that international education and exchange is vitally important to promoting understanding between cultures.”

 

“We celebrated IEW two years ago when Tabea Muenz, our student from Germany, presented on life at her German seminary. We had German sweets, German music and her presentation. We had a huge turn-out and it got great feedback from students, staff and faculty.”

 

This year, International Week will feature a cultural event on Fiji on Tuesday, November 15^th from 12:15 – 1:30 pm in Elderdice Hall. Second-year MTS student Semisi Turagavou, a native of Fiji, has invited the ambassador and other staff from the Fijian embassy to visit the Wesley community and give a special presentation on their country and culture. The presentation by Ambassador Winston Thompson and his staff will give students and other members of the community the opportunity to learn about some of the cultural and political aspects of this South Pacific island nation.

 

Semisi Turagavou also plans to share some of his own thoughts and experiences about his home country, especially regarding the topic of his MTS paper: the relationship between church and state in Fiji. He hopes many members of the community will come out for this event. “It is good to know other people's culture from other parts of the world,” he says. “Your presence would be an eye-opener to what is happening around the globe.”

 

Along with the presentation, lunch on Tuesday will feature typical Fijian dishes. Look for fish and rice to be served, and maybe some cassava or pork! All members of the community are invited to attend this special event, though meal tickets must be purchased by those without a meal plan.

 

Other events during the week will include international movie nights on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 7 – 9 pm. On Wednesday and Thursday, movies will be shown in Elderdice Hall; Friday’s movie will be shown in the Straugn TV lounge. Wednesday’s movie night will feature a film from Germany (“Good Bye Lenin!”), Thursday’s from South (“The Way Home”), and Friday’s from Hungary (“The White Palms”). 

 

All week long, stories and pictures of community members studying and living abroad will appear in the Wesley Journal, on the International Education Week Bulletin Board (entering the Refectory), and in the International Education Week Newsletter. Please visit the Refectory to see the world map and stories and pictures of our community members.