International Community Connections

By Kennedy Mdoe

I have attended multiple international student and College of International Studies events over the past year, however, in this piece I would like to focus on two impactful ones to me: First Friday Feasts (Friday breakfasts) and the International Pageant.

The International Pageant was an event focused on choosing the next faces of the OU international community. The event involved the participants showcasing a talent and their cultural attire as well as introducing a platform that they will advocate for if crowned. The event had a lot of attendees, and I got to meet international students from different places, leading to great, informative and empowering conversations. During the event, I got to meet a friend from Bolivia, and we shared with one another how our experiences at OU have been. We also shared about our personal cultural traditions, such as attire and food. Interestingly enough, there were similarities in terms of food as well as some societal norms. It was great to find that in spite of the vast differences our countries had, there were still things that brought us together in this OU community.

Another series of events that led to meaningful experiences for me were our Friday breakfasts. During these breakfasts, I have had engaging conversations regarding different diplomatic issues around the globe with students from countries such as India, Russia and Venezuela. In these conversations I learned how complex these diplomatic issues tend to be, and how as an outsider I have been spoon-fed information from the media that is often not very representative. These breakfasts, generally speaking, push for a positive climate where students can have engaging discourse on different issues they are passionate about, be they social, economic or cultural. The casual nature of the event also facilitates these discourses because there is a sense of comfort that gives students a feeling of belonging.

Kennedy Mdoe is a senior biomedical engineering major from Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania.

Photo: International students at a breakfast event in the new International Student Lounge in Farzaneh Hall.