On Friday, November 18, 2016, the International Student Association (ISA) hosted the first International Dinner from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. 

The International Dinner was a part of International Education Week, which started earlier that week and included numerous of events, such as a trip to the United Nations (UN) in New York City.

During the event, which was hosted in Downs Hall, students experienced food and performances from different cultures ranging from countries like China, Haiti and India.

"I came to this event so I can see all the performances and experience food from different cultures," said Marina Faustin, junior chemistry major. 

Students who attended were able to enjoy plenty of food from around the world. To start off the night, appetizers were presented from countries like Poland, Ethiopia and Brazil. Students were also able to try a Chinese dish called Egg Foo Young or a hibiscus egg, which is an omelette dish. Other dishes included an Indian rice pudding called Khear, Jamaican jerk chicken and a Brazilian stew called Feijoada.

Some of the performances included a piano performance from a Wenzhou Kean University student and an African fashion show. The traditional Dominican dance Merengue Tipico was presented as well, and was performed by freshman Silver Gonzalez, who is majoring in global business.  

Each performance was unique in its own way. For example, the African fashion show had each model walk out in a dress or two piece with pops of colors that captured the ambiance of the African culture. And then there were the performances by the two Wenzhou-Kean University students. 

"I was blown away by the Chinese dance and the piano performance from the [Wenzhou-Kean University] students," said Alanderson Meira, senior communication major and president of ISA. "The Chinese culture is very humble...the performers took everyone by surprise."

Another surprising performance was from a student who sang songs in Spanish. Throughout his performance, attendees got up and started dancing along with the upbeat songs.

Abidemi Olaoye, international student from Nigeria studying informational technology, enjoyed watching the performances and came to the event "to get a view of different cultures around the world."

ISA did a fantastic job depicting each culture. Whether through performance or food, attendees were not disappointed.