By Amir Sodeifi
On Monday March 21, 2016, Penn State Harrisburg celebrated Middle east culture. In this event which was held in gallery lounge (W107) from 3 to 4:15 pm, three students from Middle East presented their countries.
Amir Sodeifi, the Global Ambassador from Iran, hosted the event. This event was also facilitated by Global Ambassadors Bassam Alshammari from Saudi Arabia and Orn Ngarmcroh from Thailand.
(Hosts and Presenters of Middle East Coffee Hour; photo courtesy of Calida Gao)
Three presenters were Elham Gholamiazizi from Iran, Bassam Alshammari from Saudi Arabia, and Ali Elakkari from Egypt. Each presenter shared the culture and important festivals of his/her country. In addition, a table was decorated for the Persian New Year which is called 7 Seen (Vinegar, Dried Oleaster, Sweet pudding, Apple, Garlic, Hyacinth, sprout, painted eggs and gold fish.) and with books and decorations from Saudi Arabia.
(Table displays of the 7 Seen for the Persian New Year of Iran & Decorations from Saudi Arabia; photo courtesy of Calida Gao)
“Sometimes people perceive Egypt as a desert area, but Egypt has lots of engineers and doctors, and cities are modern, “Ali from Egypt remarked during the presentation while showing pictures of Cairo. In fact, Middle East countries have both modern technology and ancient traditions, just as Elham mentioned in her presentation that “Persian New Year/March Equinox has been celebrated in Iran for over 3,000 years.” Besides sharing festivals, which was the theme of the Coffee Hour, Bassam from Saudi Arabia, also talked about how children in Saudi Arabia are enjoying the festivals.
(Middle East snacks and desserts; photo courtesy of Krishna Gadia)
The Office of the International Student Support Services provided different types of snacks, tea and coffee for students to sample. At the end of event, Orn Ngarmcroh taught students how to paint eggs with Middle East motifs.