On August 30th, I went to the social event that was dinner at Happy Greek and then to the Greek festival. This event personally impacted me in a few ways. I got to know some of the first years in IA since the dinner had a mix of those who attended it. This was good since, aside from the mentor/mentee meeting, I had not really talked to many of the first years. It was nice to branch out from who I am used to being with all of the time.
While not changing any perspectives, the festival certainly gave me added perspective on Greek life in general. Before this event, I did not really know much about Greek food besides the one or two Greek meals I had, and of course eating Baklava. Beyond that, I could name nothing else about Greek food. At dinner though, while I did not order it, I tried falafel, something I had never had before. I also had lemon chicken, rice pilaf, and Mediterranean vegetables. At the actual festival, Angie and I ordered way too many Greek deserts. We had Baklava, Galaktoboureko, Melomakarona, Loukoumades, and Koulourakia. They were all delicious and helped me gain a sense of what Greek food and deserts are all about.
Not only did I learn about the food, I also learned about the culture. The church was open to walk through, and inside they had little boutiques. When we looked at the shops, there was typical Greek clothing and jewelry. From this, I got a sense of what traditional Greek garments consisted of. Most likely they do not wear these things every day, but it was their cultural clothing from the past or for special occasions such as this one. Outside the church, we sat and watched a few dancers and singers perform. The singing was done in Greek so neither of us knew what was being said, but they were passionate about it which made it enjoyable. Prior to the song though, they would also give descriptions in English that explained what the song that they were singing was about. The dancing that we watched was also extremely upbeat and fun. Everyone was into it which made it that much better.
At the festival, we shared a table with a couple who was Greek and attended the church where the event took place. They explained to us a little bit more about the culture and even shared some of the food that they had with them. It was a great way to get a perspective on the event from someone who lived it.
This event ties in to International Affairs because the festival was a Greek festival which involves a culture different from my own. From this event, I was able to immerse myself into a tidbit of Greek life. Since I was never around it before this, it was an opportunity for me to learn while having fun, as opposed to reading about it. I gained more personally from this event than professionally or academically, and I loved every minute of it.