On Sept. 21, New Mexico State University’s Association of Information Systems Club hosted a Cultural Bazaar at the Las Cruces Farmer’s & Craft Market. Students from around the globe attending NMSU were invited to set up booths to showcase and represent their countries. Among the countries represented were Iraq, Lebanon, Italy, and Indonesia.
NMSU’s International Club attended the event alongside the Association of Information Systems club as volunteers. Rajaa Shindi, a professor at NMSU, organized and volunteered at the event on Saturday.
Shindi said that the event’s purpose was to showcase diversity at NMSU and in the Las Cruces community.
“As part of the NMSU Global Movement, the Las Cruces Cultural Bazaar aimed to enrich the international cultural experience by showcasing the diverse traditions and customs thriving in our community,” she said.
Ahmad Khaafufar shows NMSU student Thahec Arreola some of the items at his table. Sept. 21, 2024. (David Castañeda)
At the event, visitors could try traditional Arabic coffee and traditional Middle Eastern sweets. Each booth had a poster and some representation of the country displayed. At the Iraqi table, the plates and dishes on display were decorated with the traditional designs and colors of Iraq. At the Jordanian table, visitors could try traditional Jordanian tea.
Fatema Yousef, an Iraqi native, NMSU student, and volunteer at the bazaar said that she felt that this event helped her, present her identity. She says she loves to introduce people to her culture. She says this event allowed for her to do that.
Her favorite part about the event was talking to people about the food, music, and of course her culture. Yousef is also a member of AIS. She said that to have the event approved she had to get signatures from students at NMSU. While doing that, she was able to invite them to the event.
“I am an officer in the AIS. I had to go around campus to get signatures to get the event approved. But that gave me a chance to introduce students to this event,” she stated.
Giovanni Secreti, an international student at NMSU attended the event as a volunteer and member of the NMSU International Club. Secreti is an exchange student from Italy. He said he volunteered for this event because he wanted to see what it was all about.
“I’ve met people from a lot of countries. I didn’t know there were people like that here in Las Cruces. I met people from Spain, France, Iran, and Iraq. It is all very cool. I like meeting people who are not from the US because, it’s cool having something in common with these people, like not being born here, having another culture, and having to settle up here somehow,” he said.
Thahec Arreola, a Las Cruces native said that her experience at the bazaar was “immersive.”
“It’s interesting how when you walk into a place and there’s a sense of community or something likeness about everybody there, it feels like you were truly immersing yourself in a culture,” she said. She continued to say her favorite part of the event was seeing her name written in Arabic. “This is a symbol that represents me, and seeing that in another language just really gives you that full circle experience,” she said.
