World In-Sight displays variety of cultures at UCLA

UCLA was home to a mini-world on Wednesday, as 30 different booths, each represented by a student organization, crowded Wilson Plaza to showcase their countries’ delicacies and cultures.

As students navigated the fair, they held event-specific passports and weaved through different tables, trying foods from each country represented.

World In-Sight, the first event hosted by the International Student Association and We Speak English Project, allowed students and visitors to explore and experience various cultures through dance, song, food and world trivia.

Andreas Liu, a fourth-year physics and business economics student and the president of the International Student Association, created the event to bring different cultures to the UCLA community and connect international students to domestic students.

Students and visitors traveled through the event after purchasing $2 vouchers, which allowed them to taste the different foods and drinks offered at each tent.

Turkish delight and silver bracelets lined the Turkish Cultural Club’s booth. Group members sold these items to raise donations for the children of victims of a recent mine explosion in Turkey. Though none of the students in the club said their family and friends were affected by the incident, they wanted to support the Turkish community through their fundraising.

Gulnaz Kiper, the events chair of the Turkish Cultural Club and a second-year psychology student, said World In-Sight was a way to share the Turkish culture while informing individuals about current events in Turkey.

Jaan-Eerik Past, the president of We Speak English Project at UCLA, said he thinks the event was one way to show the diversity of cultures that exist within the UCLA community. We Speak English Project is a group that teaches English to international students in different, social ways and connect cultures through English, said Past, a third-year physics student.

For Jenny Niu, the president of the Singaporean Student Association, the event allowed students to learn more about her home country, Singapore. The second-year chemical engineering student said she thinks the country is often overlooked by individuals on campus.

The Singaporean Student Association sold kaya, a popular snack in Singapore made of coconut jam and bread, at the fair.

In addition to country booths, World In-Sight also featured student and guest performances, including the Kitchenette, a band that focuses on reggae and Jamaican rocksteady music.

Past said he hopes that World In-Sight will become an annual event and continue to give students the chance to “travel” the world while staying on campus.