Global Days

Global Days is a two-day student organization fair at our University. Students had been telling us all year that it was amazing and that everybody looks forward to it all year. It was Thursday and Friday nights and so here's our report.

To call this a "student organization fair" doesn't do it justice. About 40,000 people visit campus for Global Days (including students, faculty, parents, and people from the community). So it's more like the county fair than anything else. There are probably 30 student organizations represented. For the most part, the organiztions are built around national identities - so we have an Emirati Cultural Club, a Russian Cultural Club, a Saudi Cultural Club, and so forth. Each club gets one or more corporate sponsors for their booth. Some organizations build their booths themselves and others hire contractors to help out.

HERE'S THE SAUDI BOOTH. THEY BROUGHT IN SOME NATIVE ARTISANS, TRADITIONAL DANCERS, AND SAUDI TOURISM OFFICE STAFF TO WORK THE BOOTH

THE IRANIAN STUDENTS HAD A GREAT BOOTH. GOOD FREE FOOD, TOO.

THE INDIAN STUDENT ORGANIZATION BOOTH

THE MAHARAJAH AND HIS BRIDE

There are also performances in the performance hall on campus by each of the groups. The Russians did a traditional Russian dance, the Indians did a few Bollywood song-and-dance numbers, the Sudanese did some traditional African dance, and so forth.

THE SAUDI STAGE: THIS IS A PERFORMANCE OF "THE SWORD DANCE" THAT IS PERFORMED BY THE MEN AT MAJOR CELEBRATIONS IN THEIR COUNTRY

AND HERE'S A PICTURE OF THE WHOLE THING. [SEE, I TOLD YOU THERE WERE 40,000 PEOPLE]

All in all, it was pretty impressive by any standard. I've never seen a student event on this scale anywhere in the States.