International Week to Celebrate Diverse Cultures

Travelogues, a fashion show, exotic foods and an international bazaar are among the highlights planned for the Third Annual International Week, which will be celebrated April 7-13 at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

"Bringing You the World," is the theme of the weeklong celebration, which is sponsored by the International Programs Office at Penn College.

Throughout the week, there will be a display of photos in the College Library highlighting the international focus at Penn College. On display in the Susquehanna Room (the College's main dining hall) will be a poster exhibit and a trivia contest entitled, "Where in the World is This?" Prizes will be awarded to the winners.

The College's fine-dining restaurant, Le Jeune Chef, will feature an international menu, and Food Services will offer international fare at the Susquehanna Room, the International Cafe and the CoffeeHouse, including Irish Soda Bread, Greek Pork Pita Pockets, Peruvian Potato Salad, Moroccan Barbequed Chicken and Brazilian Iced Chocolate Coca-Cola.

Raffle tickets will be on sale for more than 25 items, including a gift basket from DiSalvo's, a pool cue from Monoski's Billiard Supplies and gift certificates from 15 local businesses, including Wegmans food market, Weis Markets, Bonanza, The Heavenly Pasteria and others.

The events begin on Tuesday, April 9, when, from 11 to11:30 a.m., a storytelling session will be offered at Penn's Inn in the Bush Campus Center. Joseph E. Leblanc of the physics faculty and Susan Kemnitz, professional tutor at the College, will share stories from other lands. The event is targeted at preschoolers through kindergarten-age children.

From 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., "International Trivial Pursuit" will be played at Penn's Inn. Prizes will be awarded to the winning teams. Categories are arts, history, politics and geography. From 7 to 10 p.m., anime (Japanese animation) will be presented at the Klump Academic Center Auditorium. It will feature various anime music videos and the video "Vampire Hunter D-Bloodlust." There will also be an exhibit of anime items during the evening.

The International Bazaar will be presented from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10, at the Campus Center. There will be food and exhibits from China, Greece, Guyana and the Caribbean, Ecuador, Korea, Native American Indian tribes, India, Japan, Mexico, Niger, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, the Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates. The bazaar begins with a 10 a.m. presentation on the Study Abroad program in Denmark and Germany. Three Penn College students will share their overseas experiences from the fall of 2001.

From 10 a.m. to noon, a program on Japanese origami will be presented by Naomi Harrison and her daughters, who will provide instruction for the paper-folding technique perfected by the Japanese.

At 11 a.m., George W. Matthews of the ethics/philosophy faculty will present "You Going to Marrakesh?" Matthews will discuss Moroccan culture and people, show slides of amazing and forbidding landscapes, and describe what it's like to travel in Marrakesh.

At noon, "Something Japanese" will be presented by Shunko Muroya. Muroya, a native of Japan and a Japanese language instructor, will share information about his homeland.

At 1 p.m.. "Venezuela!" will be presented by Thomas E. Ask, an HVAC technology faculty member, who will describe his experiences working on the Venezuela-Colombia border in oil exploration. He'll discuss the llanero people, native Indian tribes and the lack of a nationalistic feeling from living along the border.

At 2 p.m., the panel discussion, "Communication in Arab Cultures: Perceptions and Misperceptions," will be presented, with speech communication/composition faculty member David A. London serving as moderator. Presenters will include students and staff.

The panel will explore the differences and similarities of communication in Arab countries and cultures. Is communication a fundamental difference that prevents us from understanding one another, or do we perceive differences because the media have led us in that direction? Henriette K. Evans, academic career specialist and a native of Lebanon, will tackle this relevant topic along with international students from Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

From 3 to 3:15 p.m., traditional Korean song will be presented by Sun Nyeo Reibson. From 3:15 to 4 p.m., a drum circle will feature Penn College students and staff. Relax to the easy rhythms of the drummers beating their melodies.

At 6 p.m., the International Fashion Show will be presented, with Loretta Kirby serving as host. This is a second-year showing of fashions from around the world. A sample of the fashions includes kimonos from Japan and native dress from Brazil, the Caribbean, Guyana, Korea, Niger and other lands.

On Thursday, April 11, from 3:30 to 5 p.m., a panel discussion, "International Cooperation vs. Competition in Science and Technology," will be offered at the Klump Academic Center Auditorium, with sociology/psychology faculty member Richard Sahn serving as moderator.

Panel members will be Lawrence J. Fryda, dean of the School of Industrial and Engineering Technologies; Shahin Shabanian of the physics faculty; Emmanuel Nkwenti-Zamcho of the business administration/international business faculty and LeBlanc.

The panel will address the ethical challenges for scientists, engineers and technicians in today's competitive world. They will also discuss how recent events have changed the academic environment.

For more information about International Week at Penn College, visit online or call (570) 320-5257.