The Directorate of International Affairs, Partnership, and Alumni of Universitas Katolik Parahyangan (IO UNPAR) successfully held its first-ever ‘International Student Day (I-Day) 2024.’ Held under the theme “All Around The World” and its slogan, “Bite into Culture, Dive into Fun,” I-Day aimed to embark on a journey of discovery, tasting and learning about the traditions and festivities of various cultures.
On Thursday, 5th September 2024, over 300 people came to experience the cultural festivities. The event started with opening remarks from Levina Charisa Pilongo as the project officer of I-Day 2024, continued by Mr. Reinard Primulando, Ph.D as the Director of International Affairs, Partnership, and Alumni (DIPA), and afterwards Mba Sylvia Yazid, Ph.D as the Secretary of UNPAR. Mba Sylvia took the time to convey that “International Student Day is much more than just an event but it is a vibrant celebration of unity and diversity….” I-Day 2024 served as a platform for local and international students to explore various cultures, cuisines, and games.
In creating sense of the theme, the committee prepared event-exclusive passport dummies and stickers—imitating passport stamps,—from every participating country. This time particularly, I-Day hosted thirteen countries: Canada, Australia, Algeria, Rwanda, Sweden, Russia, Lithuania, the United Kingdom, France, Thailand, Pakistan, Timor Leste, and Indonesia. Every time the “travelers” visit a country’s booths, they will have to participate in mini games or challenges and try some national dishes in order to get the country’s stamp sticker. This culminated into a stamp collection challenge—if the “travelers” successfully finished collecting 6 stamps, they would get rujak bebeuk or es puter as a reward.
Our international students also had the opportunity to present anything related to their respective countries. Stan from the University of Lille, France, gave tips on how to get along with French people, then introduced and sang a popular French song, Jul’s “J’oublie tout.” Another example was Honorine, Nicolas, and Mediatrice,—all UNPAR students from Rwanda,—who invited “travelers” to dance to Massamba Intore’s “Ingendo y’abeza.” Towards the end, everyone including the international students did the Maumere dance together. The event was a blast, leaving everyone with full hearts and tummies.