'International event for everyone'
Jordan Culture Night draws 200 people
Josh Letner
Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: Campus Life
"When I grew up, I had an interest in stamp collection and coin collection, and that's how I saw a Jordan stamp for the first time. I had no idea because I thought that it had a very Western-sounding name, and later on I found out it was a Middle Eastern country," Ratnapal said.
The broad range of students and community members impressed Liz Harris, graduate student in communication.
"I'm really excited. There are a lot of people here. I mostly came for the hummus and to see my friends," Harris said. "It's not just a Jordanian event for the Americans, it's an international event for everyone."
Steve Harmon, associate professor in history, said events like this help to bring an understanding of cultures that many Americans are unfamiliar with.
"We live in a relatively isolated part of the country, historically speaking, and I don't mean that in an unkind way, but we could use a little exposure to the outside world," Harmon said. "We try to get as many of our students as we can to travel and study overseas, and the other component of that is that we bring international students to our campus and that helps because a little bit of their culture rubs off on us."
Ratnapal says learning about different cultures will help him in his career in marketing.
"When you have to sell something to someone from another culture, you should know how they think," Ratnapal said.
Haddadin says the most important thing to remember when it comes to international politics is that we are all human.
"There is no absolute truth when you are talking about cultures and civilizations," Haddadin said.
Harris attributed the large turnout to the gregarious nature of PSU's small Jordanian population.
"They're really friendly and outgoing, so they make a lot of friends," Harris said.
According to Harris, events like Jordanian Culture Night are a valuable asset to PSU students.
"The point of going to a university is to learn about the world around you, and you can't do that if you go to Blockbuster and rent a movie and go home and sit on the couch," Harris said.
The broad range of students and community members impressed Liz Harris, graduate student in communication.
"I'm really excited. There are a lot of people here. I mostly came for the hummus and to see my friends," Harris said. "It's not just a Jordanian event for the Americans, it's an international event for everyone."
Steve Harmon, associate professor in history, said events like this help to bring an understanding of cultures that many Americans are unfamiliar with.
"We live in a relatively isolated part of the country, historically speaking, and I don't mean that in an unkind way, but we could use a little exposure to the outside world," Harmon said. "We try to get as many of our students as we can to travel and study overseas, and the other component of that is that we bring international students to our campus and that helps because a little bit of their culture rubs off on us."
Ratnapal says learning about different cultures will help him in his career in marketing.
"When you have to sell something to someone from another culture, you should know how they think," Ratnapal said.
Haddadin says the most important thing to remember when it comes to international politics is that we are all human.
"There is no absolute truth when you are talking about cultures and civilizations," Haddadin said.
Harris attributed the large turnout to the gregarious nature of PSU's small Jordanian population.
"They're really friendly and outgoing, so they make a lot of friends," Harris said.
According to Harris, events like Jordanian Culture Night are a valuable asset to PSU students.
"The point of going to a university is to learn about the world around you, and you can't do that if you go to Blockbuster and rent a movie and go home and sit on the couch," Harris said.
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Dima Goussous
posted 11/21/09 @ 3:24 AM CST
Jordan is so proud of you Ramiz :) way to go!
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