Sherry Sainel shows off her native dress Monday at the International Festival Fashion show photo by Stephanie Platt

"Around the World in Six Days" was presented by the International Student Organization during International Week Ô99, Apr. 19-24.

Chris Sullivan, International Student and Scholar Advisor, said that this third annual festival began with a fashion show on Monday on the University Center Patio.

"About 20 students from 10-12 countries modeled traditional clothing from their countries," Sullivan said.

The cultural performance presentation followed on Tuesday on the University Center Patio. Music, dance, and martial arts were performed by students from various international student associations.

On Mirthday, the International Student Organization set up booths displaying arts, crafts, and posters from their countries.

"Last year, we had four or five booths; this year we have eight booths," Sullivan said.

Vikash Macherla, a junior in biology, and a member of the Indian Students Association, displayed traditional mats and a tablecloth at their booth. Temporary tattoos were also being applied to the hands of students who came to the booth. Macherla said that Henna paste was used to tattoo the hands of brides and bridesmaids as a tradition for weddings.

"Now they [tattoos] have become a fashion trend," Macherla said.

Mona Patel, a junior in MIS, had a Henna design on her hand.

Li-Ching, a graduate student in business administration, displayed the national flag of Taiwan, decorative fans, and more. Students who stopped at this were asked questions about Taiwan. If the students answered correctly, they received a gift.

Eihab Abourokbah, a graduate student in education, passed out flyers showing the many Arabian countries and flags. In addition, for the students who came to the booth, Abourokbah wrote their names in Arabic.

Inshirah Bawazeer and Dalia Al-Riyami from Oman show off their hand jewelry at the fashion show photo by Stephanie Platt

The Malaysian Student Association had their table decorated with bright pink and pastel green weaved baskets. Hairul Muhamad, a junior in business, and Syerey Zainel, a junior in mass communications, explained how in their country these baskets are sometimes made of coconut. The baskets are filled with rice and placed in boiling water to cook, giving the rice the flavor of the coconut.

Vicky Ho, a senior in graphic design and a member of the Korean Student Association, wrote students' names in Korean on a Korean tape name tag.

The events for Thursday and Friday consisted of showing tourist videos and playing non-traditional sports. On Thursday, there were five to six videos produced by the National Tourism Boards, which showed the exciting tourist sites to visit in various countries. Friday's event entailed the playing of sports that are enjoyed in many countries. There was volleyball, table tennis, racquetball, and a soccer game.

According to Sullivan, International Week culminated with a dinner on Saturday on South Campus with "authentic" dishes from many countries. The members of the International Student Organization prepared dishes from their countries.

For more information on the next International Week, contact International Student Services at 516-5229.