Marie Takagi visited Greece, Latin America, Thailand, Kenya, Turkey and more than a dozen other countries on Sunday. And she did it all without stepping out of the Union into the drizzly afternoon.
Takagi, an English Language Center student from Japan, was one of more than 1,000 people to attend the Global Festival on Sunday in the Union.
Students and community members of all ages and cultures milled around three floors of the Union, listening to music, drawing calligraphy and painting.
Takagi took a simulated tour of the world and had a yellow "passport" stamped and signed at each location.
"I enjoyed the costumes and instruments," the sophomore said.
Alex Rodrigues, a member of the Brazilian Community Association, said he was part of the tour, because many people have no knowledge of his country, the cities or the fact that they speak Portuguese instead of Spanish.
"Brazil seems to be a big tropical mystery," the MSU doctoral student said. "It's important to open up their eyes. A lot of people know us for soccer or music, but we're more than that."
The Brazilian Community Association was one of more than 25 groups in the tour.
Downstairs in the Union lounge, children participated in games throughout the exhibits.
After winning a version of Twister where each color was a different section of the globe, East Lansing resident Sang Yoon took his left foot off the red circle for Norway.
"I've seen many countries using different music and languages," he said.
Karla Janing waited for her little sister Caitlin to finish her game of Twister and said she comes to the event every year. Janing and Caitlin are part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
"There's more interest, involvement, visibility and more diversity of population now," said Janing, who teaches in Holt. "It's not necessarily more in the curriculum units at school but more in celebrating different holidays and traditions."
The Global Festival kicked off the 4th annual International Education Week.
The nationwide week of events was started by then-President Clinton in the fall of 2000. It is co-sponsored by the U.S. State and Education departments.
"The Clinton administration felt Americans needed to be more educated about the world," said Jay Rodman, special projects coordinator for MSU's Office of International Studies and Programs. "They felt that if higher education could focus very intentionally about other cultures, it would help foster global awareness in our population."
More than 25 events are planned, including a lecture on the Israeli Palestinian conflict by Kenneth Waltzer, director of the Center for Integrative Arts & Humanities, a discussion about the history of the Ojibwe language by Helen Roy, MSU's sole Ojibwe professor, and a presentation by MSU President M. Peter McPherson about his experiences in Iraq.
"It's a broad spectrum of activities," Rodman said. "There should be something there for everybody."
For a calendar of events, visit www.isp.msu.edu/calendar/intledweek2003.php
