Music was probably the first thing you noticed as you approached Gordy Hall on a Tuesday last May, where tantalizing Oriental sounds beckoned visitors to check out what was happening. Delicious odors were the second assailant on the senses. Giving in to curiosity you peep in the door at a beehive of activity.
"Non-European Languages and Cultures Fair," a banner proclaims from overhead. The event is being sponsored by the Department of Linguistics. As your hunger pangs propel you through the door you quietly groan to see a long line already formed along tab les piled with international foods of all descriptions. But since all good things are worth waiting for, you line up and finally are loading your plate with baked trout and spicy vegetables, fried breads, and savory beans.
As you find a seat where you can watch a demonstration of an Arabic computer program, a burst of music announces an exhibition dance. Several Japanese students dressed in native costume portray a day in the life of a coal miner in, "Tankou-bushi" (The coal miner's dance).
Sated, you wander through the rest of the exhibits; you are tempted to allow artists Jared Coon, a second-year student of Chinese, and Tomoko Imamura, a fourth-year student in the College of Communication, to paint your face in the Beijing opera facial makeup tradition. Chinese folk art, the facial makeup covers the entire face with colorful clay. The artistry originated from masks worn by dancers of the Tang dynasty (A.D. 618-907).
Your afternoon schedule presses upon you, but there is time to watch several Japanese women demonstrate the art of dressing in a kimono and wrapping the sash. As you leave you reflect that in one short hour you've gained some insight into a few of the world's major cultures-Arabic, Indonesian, Malaysian, Swahili, Japanese, and Chinese.