ISO welcomes cultures for full night of events

This Thursday the International Student Organization on campus will be hosting their first major event of the year. Latin American and Caribbean Night will feature food, music, decorations and dance lessons from Latin American and Caribbean cultures.

President of ISO, Carissa Handiman, a sophomore from Indonesia, helped to put this event into motion.

"We'll be featuring an array of foods from Mexico and Puerto Rico, decorations from the Caribbean and a local dance group will host a workshop, featuring Latin American dances like the salsa and the bachata," she said.

The food will be from a local Mexican restaurant, El Palenque, and will include such Latin American dishes as chile relleno, which is a chili pepper stuffed with beef and cheese, two types of enchiladas and rice and beans.

A surprise dance group will be teaching the basics of salsa, a dance that originated in Cuba, and bachata, which originated in the Dominican Republic.

Handiman said she sees this as a great opportunity for students to connect with each other and to share the many different cultural experiences we each have.

"We live in a world where we are all so connected, yet we know so little about other cultures," Handiman said. "This will be an opportunity to meet new people, understand new cultures and find that common ground."

Students will also have the chance to talk and share experiences with dozens of international students from around the world. 

Joe Ngai, Vice President of ISO, spoke further on why it's so important to explore these cultures.

"They are our neighbors," Ngai said, "and if you think about it the United States is a very diverse place. Sometimes people don't know a lot about their culture or have forgotten and it's a good way for people to learn."

Carlos Cisneros, Treasurer of ISO who is from Mexico, has personal experience with the cultures being explored at this event.

"I've danced the salsa and the bachata and they are pretty easy to learn," Cisneros said. "Hopefully people will dance the whole time and learn and experience something new."

He also said he believes that this event will open people's eyes and expel previous prejudices regarding these cultures.

"There are so many different cultures, if you only explore one you'll become ethnocentric," he said. "This event can give them a new understanding of culture and they can begin to create their own ideas."

This event will take place in the Assembly Hall and Fireside Lounge. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. but the event officially begins at 7 p.m. and runs until 10 p.m.

This event is free and anyone is welcome to attend. People interested in joining the International Student Organization at this time will have the opportunity to do so.

Samantha Murphy can be reached by email at murphy.record@live.com.