DiversiTea at University of Incarnate Word: Tatyana Gribanova
Every year my host university holds a series of wonderful events called DiversiTea where students can learn more about the culture of other countries and try national dishes. This time, the event was to feature Russia and I was very happy when I was offered the chance to take part in this event and represent my country. The international office helped me a lot. They took me to the Russian market (imagine how surprised I was to know that there was one in San Antonio), provided all the necessary materials for the stand, and prepared colorful posters and handouts with common Russian phrases.
The presentation was great. I prepared a board telling about Russia, added pictures of the most beautiful landscapes, interesting facts about my country and some general information. People came to me, asked questions about Russia, tried sweets and snacks that I bought in the Russian market. I taught them common phrases in Russian and signed some postcards. It was an unforgettable experience and I am looking forward for the next DiversiTea where I can learn about other cultures!
I believe that nowadays it is significantly important to raise cultural awareness because we live in a multi-cultural world. For example, in my university there are students from all parts of the world. It has more than 140 sister schools around the world and many exchange students come here every year. I think that such events help people to understand others better and to realize that there are many ways to see the world.
Pictured Above: Tatyana at her stand during the DiversiTea event
Written by Tatyana Gribanova, 2018-19 Global UGRAD student from Russia at the University of Incarnate Word