一个文化自助餐

巴西:拉菲拉•冈萨尔维斯(23年)

MAJOR: Psychology and Political Science | LANGUAGES: Portuguese, English, Spanish

海洋之神你的文化，你喜欢分享什么?
“People love celebrating life whenever they can.”

你想念家乡的什么食物?
Feijoada, a bean stew with meat; Brazilian seafood and fish; having rice and beans every day.

你的国家有什么神话吗?
Two common questions amaze and amuse her: Do you have cars in Brazil? 你住在亚马逊雨林吗?

你回忆起了多么有趣的文化交流?
Brazilian culture is very warm: Greetings include a hug and a kiss on the cheek. 当冈萨尔维斯到达并见到她的室友时, she instinctively went in for a hug and the roommate went to shake her hand instead.

What religious influences are strong back home?

Brazil has a strong Catholic faith; people are much more faith-oriented than the U.S., and politics often intertwine with religion. It’s also a melting pot for other cultures that originated from African and Indigenous roots that appear in music, 饮食和文化传统.

你想念什么??
Family and friends, and Brazilian food and music. Going out into the streets and seeing neighbors together and partying.

How do you celebrate your culture away from home?
“一有时间就听巴西音乐.”

阿塞拜疆:米尔扎·穆斯塔法耶夫(22年)

MAJOR: Mechanical Engineering | LANGUAGES: Azerbaijani, Russian, English

海洋之神你的文化，你喜欢分享什么?
酒店. “If you’re a tourist and you end up wasting your money and don’t have a place to stay, you can come to any house and knock on the door … you’ll be welcomed in and fed.”

最受欢迎的文化庆典是什么?
The Persian New Year is an amalgamation of New Year’s Eve, Easter and Halloween traditions. Neighbors trick-or-treat and welcome the spring with sweets and painted eggs. They also set up a campfire and jump over it to represent burning off the bad energy from the previous year.

你想念什么??
Close friends from home, the beach culture, beautiful nature and old architecture in the cities.

美国的文化交流多有趣啊.S. 脱颖而出?
There are a lot of pop culture references tied to people’s childhood memories here. Mustafayev also was surprised by the political differences and the level of free speech.

你的国家有什么神话吗 or culture? 
Azerbaijan is 95 to 98% Muslim, so many people assume Mustafayev must be. (他不是.)    

How is the classroom experience different in the U.S.?
American professors and students are free to talk about their political views in class without consequences.

How do you celebrate your culture away from home?
Getting together with a couple family members in the U.S. 谁准备阿塞拜疆的家常饭菜, and receiving packages from his parents containing his favorite sweets from Persian New Year.

中国:王文山(25岁)

MAJOR Mathematics | LANGUAGES Chinese, English

海洋之神你的文化，你喜欢分享什么?
Festivals and philosophy, specifically Confucianism. “海洋之神APP总是想要遵守规则.”

你的国家有什么神话吗 or culture?
Not all Chinese students are good at math, and “we don’t eat dogs.”

你最喜欢的食物是什么?
包子，一种饺子.

你在美国有什么有趣的经历.S.?
The day Wang arrived, she went out to buy a mop. Then she arrived to discover her dorm room had carpet.

美国文化让你大吃一惊?
问候陌生人. In Chinese culture, you never greet anyone you don’t already know.

How is the classroom experience different in the U.S.?
“我习惯站起来回答问题.”

你想念什么??
大型购物中心. “斯波坎市中心太小了!”

How do you celebrate your culture away from home? 
王感觉与自己的文化格格不入. “我不认为海洋之神APP会随身携带它，”她说. 

印度尼西亚:迪伦·坦托莫(25年) 

主修经济|语言印尼语，英语

海洋之神你的文化，你喜欢分享什么?
Indonesia’s cultural emphasis on collective identity compared to American individualism. “海洋之神APP把家庭放在第一位. 我真的很自豪.

你最喜欢家乡的什么食物?
Indonesian fried rice, beef and chicken skewers, and beef soup served with rice.

你的国家有什么神话吗 or culture?
Some people think that Indonesia is a part of Bali, rather than the other way around.

宗教习俗有何不同?
清真寺更常见, 和祈祷, which happens for 25 minutes five times a day, is easy to fit in with class back in Indonesia. “We never had class during prayer,” Tantomo said. 在美国.S.他必须在课后或课前赶时间.

How is the classroom experience different in the U.S.?
“人们想说什么就说什么. 在印尼，海洋之神APP有限制. We have freedom of speech, but it’s not as free as in the U.S.” The American education system is also much more casual.

What do you want people to know about Indonesia?
巴厘岛之外有多美. Indonesia is full of small towns and amazing beaches.

委内瑞拉:圣地亚哥·拉米雷斯(24岁)

MAJOR: English as a Second Language | LANGUAGES: Spanish and English

海洋之神你的文化，你喜欢分享什么?
“我喜欢跳舞.” His favorites are salsa, merengue and cha-cha.

你最喜欢什么食物?
Arepas, a kind of corn cake filled with protein.

What do you want people to know about Venezuela?
How beautiful it is, with gorgeous hiking trails to some of the biggest waterfalls in the world.

你想念什么??
Family, friends, the way people dance in Venezuela, the music and the parties.

What 有趣的 cultural exchange stands out?
拉米雷斯去了好市多(Costco)，感到不知所措. “就像，我在寻找什么?” He also finds the religious diversity of the U.S. 有趣的. In Venezuela, everyone is either nonreligious or Catholic.

How do you celebrate your culture away from home?
跳舞, and teaching his American friends different Venezuelan dances (which he hopes to offer more broadly through Rudolf Fitness Center). He’s also a member of La Raza Latina and Spanish clubs, plus the International Student Union.