Brandeis' multinational presence was displayed last week during International Week (I-Week) a five-day event designed to celebrate cultural diversity on campus and to educate students about other regions of the world. The program was organized by the International Club and featured food and events from around the world.

I-Week started with Middle East Night on Monday, amassing a crowd of about 50 to a belly dancing show on Monday night. The dancer performed for students and took time to teach participants how to belly dance.

Tuesday was Asian Day with the Asian Food Fair fed approximately 100 students who were waiting out the door to dine in the Shapiro Atrium.

Food was purchased from an Asian restaurant, Lily's Kitchen and and New Mother India in Waltham.

The Brandeis Asian-American Student Association hosted a Movie Marathon. They showed movies like "BBQ Muslims," "Banana Split," and "The Kiss" in Lown Auditorium.

Wednesday was European Day. It began with a Wine and Cheese Tasting Party in the Shapiro Multipurpose Room. Three different wines, several cheeses, and breads were available for tasting

The party cost around $50 and was organized by the Oenology Club.

"We host around three wine tasting sessions a semester on campus," Brett Friedman '04, co-President of the Oenology Club said. "Usually we hire a professional to choose the wines and lead the tasting,"

Thursday was Latin American Day because it coincided with the AHORA's closing ceremony of Hispanic Heritage Month

The Latin American and Caribbean Food Fair Thursday afternoon featured chicken, tamales, and rice.

The International Club purchased the food from Mi Tierra, a restaurant serving food from El Salvador and Guatemala.

Friday was African Day, with an array of African flags. A vendor brought African art, music, and items such as Kenyan Shields.

The International Club planned on providing food and hair braiding, but they were not able to book the appropriate parties.

The International Club began planning for I-Week in early September. It was then that co-presidents Rita Gomel '04, Mara Minski '06, and Deborah Finkelsztein '06, made the decision to feature different continents.

In the past, I-Week focused only on one continent.

"We wanted every day to be different so people would get a taste of each region," Minski said.

The Allocations Board granted about $800 for I-Week, and the International Club paid for most of the remaining cost with their own funds. These funds come from donations at I-Week events and profits from Pachanga, which the International Club's also sponsors.

"International students tend to stick together, and I always wanted to represent them as a leader of this club," Gomel said.

Though I-Week occurred during a controversial week on campus with the Justice incident, the event planners felt the International Club was aiding the situation.

"We wanted to show that Brandeis is in the business of diversity and making people aware. Hopefully events like this will help us heal the Brandeis community," said Minski.

"What happened last week was an isolated incident. We know Brandeis is proud of its diversity," said Gomel.

By the end of the week, many Brandeis students took advantage of what I-Week had to offer. Minski said, "We hope we provided for people something they wouldn't experience in daily life.