The hum of excited students filled Cougar Walk this past Wednesday, March 30, during the Night Market. Flags from different countries lined up the walk with twinkle lights to illuminate the event that went into the night.
The Night Market allowed the International Center to showcase the different cultures represented on campus. Students shared the food of their culture, and ethnic organizations and mission teams raised funds for their activities.
Graduate student Elayna Ah Puck summed up the night as “an opportunity for students to come together and be able to share cuisine and culture that would normally be hard to find in Azusa.”
Ohana, a small group of international and domestic students, hosted a booth and served spam musubi, a popular Hawaiian snack and luck food.
“We get together once a week, we do devotions, share cultures and eat together,” Korean international student Gina Shin said.
Kenberly Ferguson, a sophomore criminal justice major, took part in her first Night Market by selling various baked desserts as a way to fundraise for the Black Student Association.
Sophomore biology student Britni Murfett enjoyed the market this year more than last year because she has more of an appreciation for international events now that she will be going to Peru on an Action Team.
“When I see things like this, I get excited for people,” Murfett said. “I love being able to see how everyone else is also involved. It’s great to see people coming together for a cause.”
April Events
The International Center is also hosting various other events through the month of April such as Prayer for the Nations, Taste of the World and Global Voices.
Prayer for the Nations will be held on April 9, in the LAPC from 7-9 p.m.
This will be a night for both international and domestic students to come together, pray in different languages and expose others to different styles of worship.
“I think [it’s] a really unique opportunity to showcase a culture through language,” Puck said.
The center also hosts a food showcase the first four Fridays in April in the Dining Hall after chapel.
Taste of the World is a time for international and domestic students to meet, talk and build relationships.
Each Friday, a new cuisine is showcased featuring Korean, Mediterranean, Pacific Islander and Singapore dishes.
Global Voices, the final event of International Student Awareness Month, will occur on April 15 in the Dining Hall.
During this time, students will share experiences from their home countries and discuss their transition to the U.S.
“It gives American and international students a chance to hear from their peers on what their life abroad was like,” Puck explained. “It’s a really huge learning experience.”
The International Center sponsors these and other events, such as day trips, community events and discipleship groups, open to all students throughout the year.
Puck explained that the reason she continually gets involved is because she can see the benefit of forming a relationship with students from backgrounds that are different from hers.
“I’ve seen myself grow in understanding, empathy and passion for people that are different,” Puck said. “Because of that, I’m a much better person than I was.”
Freshman global studies major Bree Schricker said she has been enriched by these interactions with international students.
Not only has she come to enjoy her friendships with them, but they have sparked a passion for getting involved on campus.
“You don’t have to go to another country to experience cultures or to learn from someone drastically different from us, because we have hundreds of international students on campus,” Schricker said.
Not only is it great to become aware of these other cultures, but it’s also a great opportunity for both international and domestic students to realize the potential they have on campus.
The International Center believes that it is important to not only seek out these relationships, but to invest in and value them.
“Because our world is so globalized, it’s very important to be cross-culturally competent, and you don’t have to cross oceans to experience a different culture, especially in Southern California and especially at APU,” Schricker said.
Become part of International Student Awareness month and join the international and domestic stu