AUK Hosts its 14th Annual International Week

The International Week at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) is an annual event on campus that promotes and celebrates cultural diversity within the AUK community. This year marked the 14th consecutive International Week and included an array of cultural events that were organized by the Office of Student Life. The week featured highly-anticipated events such as the cooking competition, global village, parade of nations and cultural showcase.

The week started with the cooking competition that featured traditional cuisines from Kuwait, India, Egypt, Pakistan, Mexico, South Korea, and Lebanon. The Best Main Dish Award went to Pakistan and the Best Main Dessert Award went to India. Some of these dishes were also later displayed at the Global Village, where a line of booths promoting their nation’s culture, displaying traditional clothing, books, music and foods, were exhibited across the campus’ main hallway. The booths were rated by judges for the Best Country Representation Award, which was awarded to Pakistan, South Korea, and the Levantine countries, coming in first, second and third place, respectively. Urooj Mudassar, President of the Desi Club said, “Representing Pakistan at AUK’s International Week was a great experience, we not only displayed our culture but also gave the AUK community a walk through our history.”

The following day, the AUK community participated in a parade of nations, where a parade of flags representing AUK’s diverse community marched across the main hallway. Their trail lead to the auditorium where the cultural showcase was held, featuring a range of cultural performances. Towards the end of the show, the Best Cultural Showcase title was awarded to Armenia, Kuwait, and Pakistan, coming in first, second, and third place, respectively.
 
Laila Dallol, a freshman electrical engineering student at AUK and event participant, recognized the importance of this opportunity in learning about the various nationalities of the AUK community. On her participation, she commented, “I was honored to represent my country and share my traditions and history with the AUK community.”

This year’s celebration also marked the inauguration of the AUK World Cup where student teams could compete as representatives of their chosen country. The winning team was representing Mexico.

The Office of Student Life noted that organizing this series of activities annually aligns with AUK’s liberal arts mission. Such events helps in supporting and encouraging cultural diversity and understanding on campus, as well as inspiring students to work in groups and be creative.
 

Students representing Kuwait in the cooking competition
 

Students representing Bilad AlSham in the global village
  

Students representing Pakistan in the global village
 

Students representing Jordan in the global village
 

Pakistani cultural performance during the cultural showcase
 

Kuwaiti performance during the cultural showcase