Global Series Presentation by Anna Albert
Before coming in the USA, I defined one big goal for me as getting as much as possible from this experience. One of the most fascinating things that happened to me during my first months in the USA is the Global Series: Ukraine & Russia event. The university and international dorm where I live helped to sponsor the Global Series event. I had a chance to present on Ukrainian culture as part of a series of events about different countries highlighting features, cultural norms, traditions, and customs.
My Russian friends and I came up with idea to highlight both Russian and Ukrainian cultures, as we noticed that most Americans do not detect differences between the two cultures. We prepared a presentation, national dances, as well as cooked food: sharlotka (apple pie), bliny with meat (pancakes with meat) and potatoes with salo (potatoes with pig fat). The presentation was very successful. We expected 60 people to attend and ended up with as 109 guests from on and off campus.
I’m so glad to have had such an experience and introduce my country and tell people more about from where I come. I made a conclusion for myself that international experience makes you an open and global thinking person. I enjoyed bringing diversity to my American campus and being involved in it as much as I can.
Written by Anna Albert, 2018-19 Global UGRAD student from Ukraine at the University of Arkansas