Students at Chattanooga State Community College had the chance to travel around the world Wednesday and still be home for dinner.
The college hosted its first international festival, where students and staff from different nationalities shared their cultures through food, information and performances.
“What we were aiming (to do) was to really show the students of Chattanooga State that, just because you are American, it doesn’t mean you have to ignore your history,” said Sara Clarridge, whose mother is from Iran.
The 20-year-old shared a booth with Alex Votava, who represented Israel, where they had the Quran and the Torah next to each other, along with artifacts including pictures and books from both countries.
Students got to taste a chicken-liver pâté from Romania, Puerto Rican rice, a sweet rice drink from Korea called shikhye and other ethnic dishes provided for tasting by local restaurants.
A walk through the booths led to places ranging from Mexico, where Ana Martinez was sewing baby pillowcases; to Chile, where a map and jewelry from the South American country were displayed, to Japan and Ecuador, to name a few.
“It’s really cool,” said Carissa Stewart, a freshman studying graphic design, as she watched Lauryn Peterson belly dance.
“I’ve enjoyed all the different kinds of food, clothes and instruments,” she added as she tried some Chinese dishes.
Diana Graham, also a student at the college, sat with her 3-year-old son, Alex.
“I love it,” she said. “I’m hoping to get more in touch with my own nationality.”
She said her mother is from Germany.
“The main purpose is to bring a little bit of the world to the students because we have a variety of ethnicities and different nationalities at the college,” said Mirtha Jones, coordinator for Hispanic Outreach at Chattanooga State.
BY THE NUMBERS* 45: Number of nationalities represented in Chattanooga State* 30: Number of booths in international festival* 7: Number of performances
She said about 45 nationalities are represented at the college.
“To let everybody have a piece of the culture and food maybe will spark an interest in learning about other nationalities and countries,” she said.
For Miss Clarridge, vice president of the Multicultural Club, having Israel and Iran share a booth was a chance to show that everyone can coexist.
“Growing up in the South has taught me you don’t always have to fit in to meet people of like mind and, just because you are from one place and your best friend is from another, that doesn’t mean you can’t be happy,” she said.