by Joy Esiemokhai
It is said that first impressions are the hardest to forget. This arguably rings true even more for international students. Their first impression of their host city and institution is one that can make or break their time they will carry with them when they return to their home nations.
That is why the Carrollton Civic Woman’s Club hosts a dinner at the start of every fall semester for both new and continuing UWG international students. The annual event, which is the result a full year of planning, has become legendary among internationals, with the continuing students who have attended past dinners regaling new students with the food, fun and freebies one could expect.
Over 70 UWG international students attended this year’s event that took place on August 20, 2014 at the Carroll County Agricultural Center. The guests were met with applause as they entered the venue to the sights and smells of Southern cooking. Several officers of the CCWC gave brief welcome addresses to the new students, including one speaker who addressed attendees in English, Spanish and French, and another who made the Chinese students present proud by addressing them in their native language. Members of the CCWC mixed and mingled with the students while UWG president, Dr. Kyle Marrero, and president emeritus, Dr. Beheruz N. Sethna, also stopped by the event to greet the students.
“It’s so sweet of the ladies to organize this event every year,” said Divya Pushpanathan, a graduate student from Sri Lanka who was attending the event for the third time. “It makes me feel so honored that they spend so much time and effort into making this one evening special for us.”
The dinner consisted of a full Southern feast, including fried chicken, mashed and sweet potatoes, corn-on-the-cob and sweet tea. For most of the students, this was their first taste of Southern home cooking and true Southern hospitality and they showed their appreciation by giving the organizers a long and loud round of applause for their efforts. Once bellies were full and plates were cleared, the students were shown the numerous freebies such as beddings, towels, kitchen utensils and home décor for the taking. This was the culmination of a truly memorable evening for both the students and the members of the CCWC.
“This is the biggest and most wonderful welcome I’ve ever received,” Emma Forsythe, a new student from Northern Ireland, expressed. “It makes me feel like I’ve come to the right place- a home away from home of sorts.”
The Carrollton Civic Woman’s Club is the Carrollton, Georgia chapter of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, the largest women-only volunteer organization in the world. Its mission is to “improve the social, cultural and physical needs of others” through service. For more information on the club, visit their website at www.carrolltoncivicwomansclub.org.
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