The world comes to campus: MISO hosts their biennial world Fair as part of alt. night one

By Madison Dyer

Last Friday, Cedarville University put on its first “Alt Night” of the year, featuring Cedarville’s Got Talent, food trucks and the Multicultural International Student’s Organization’s (MISO) World Fair. This event occurs once every two years and features tables decked out to represent nearly every country on campus

MISO is a student organization, dedicated to fostering a welcoming community. It is not restricted to intercultural students or missionary kids: it is open to anyone interested in connecting with people from different cultural backgrounds. They host a wide range of events throughout the year, such as coffee dates and bonfires. One of their notable annual events is their Embassy Gala, where they spend the evening in lively fellowship. 

For the World Fair this year, they set up along the sidewalk between the Stevens Student Center and the Scharnburg Business and Communication Center. Students manned about twenty tables representing countries all over the world, including Costa Rica, Egypt, Russia, Korea and India. Many wore the traditional garb of their cultures and served regional snacks. Students wandering through could have their names translated into Burmese, try their hand at Chinese brushstrokes or snatch stickers of pasta from the Italy table. They could also check out the facepainting and henna art tables. In the span of an hour, students could say they visited a dozen or more countries. 

Sarah Funkhouser, senior Keyboard Pedagogue major and one of two secretaries of MISO, helped organize the event. She hoped to offer students the chance to dip their toes in the waters of places they may never have the opportunity to visit. 

“[The World Fair] seeks to give the student body chances to share their culture and to embrace other people’s cultures,” Funkhouser said.

At the heart of the World Fair is the opportunity to explore. The table format gives students the opportunity to have one-on-one conversations and explore other cultures which they find interesting, no matter which one they were born into. It is intended for all students to collectively share their heritage and marvel at the vastness of God’s world.

To investigate MISO further, check out their Instagram or Facebook page. 

Madison Dyer is a sophomore Professional Writing and Information Design student, who grew up nearby the University. She likes to draw, play guitar and engage in general shenanigans.