Asia Day unites East and West

By Scott Ammons
Editor

The delightful aroma of Asian cuisine and the cheerful sounds of an international festival wrapped in unity filled the Chavis University Center Nov. 8 at UNCP's first Asia Day.

International students from China, India, Japan, Korea and the Philippines intrigued and delighted students, faculty, staff and community members with a taste of their ages-old culture and time-honored traditions.

These students came to the United States in August 2005, and are enrolled in the university's English as a Second Language program. The students were seeking to better their English, familiarize themselves with American culture and introduce their traditions to Americans.

Through this festival of singing, dancing and eating, the students tore down language barriers and formed foundations for friendships with their fellow students from other cultures.

In addition to a tantalizing buffet of Asian food, festival-goers were treated to a fashion show, a martial arts display, musical performances, door prizes and trivia. Su Chen of Wenzhou, China, taught Chinese calligraphy. Chen said she has been doing calligraphy for about eight years, and six of those were spent in a classroom two days a week learning this expressive form of artistic communication.

"I'm grateful and very proud of the students. They did most of the work," said Dr. Emi Mizunuma, Director of the English Language Institute. "I'm glad we had the opportunity to share Asian culture with the UNCP community."