One World Week: around the world in 7 days!

Suddenly, there are activities all over campus, the food is different, people are passing by but wearing different clothes… but you still wondering what’s all the fuss about?

It’s all due to the biggest cultural event in town, the OWW! During a whole week, you can have a closer view of different cultures, with events happening every day all over campus! The One World Week is the perfect opportunity to celebrate diversity and the international feature of our university. And even if you were not able to join, here I will share with you the best moments and some insights into the backstage ?

What was the OWW all about?

This week focused on the immense diversity that characterizes Wageningen. During seven days, students were invited to do an intercultural cooperation, sharing knowledge and experiences and having fun together with the entire community. So besides students, also WUR staff was present at the events!

The One World Week is a great opportunity for all students who want to share their cultural traditions and festivities from their home country. In a nutshell, is the time to express how proud you are of your roots and to spread the heritage of your homeland.

Which activities were included in the programme?

The programme for this week is full of different events, from fashions shows to typical cultural parties and celebrations, as the Holi festival and African Party.

The activities are scheduled during lunch, at the end of the afternoon and in the evening. During the week, most activities take place on Wageningen Campus or in Wageningen city center. Besides the cultural activities, is also possible to do sportive activities, such as representing your country in the Olympics.

I was lucky to be part of the organizing team, so I will give you an overview of all the events but focus on the ones I was directly linked and liked the most. Hence, you can also have a closer look at behind the scenes 😉

• Fashion Show

Before this activity, the rector of our university, prof. Arthur Mol, gave an opening speech, followed by the introduction to the opening exhibition of Gender Free Zone.

Then was time for the Fashion Show! This was the opening event of the whole week. Due to that, we were really motivated during the preparation and rehearsals. However, this was also a reason for the little extra pressure we were felling.

The models got ready in one of the Orion wings, where we made sure nothing would miss, from hairdressers to make-up artists. Cookies and drinks were also there to keep everyone energetic and enthusiastic 😉

In the end, it couldn’t have been a better experience! Was a great feeling of accomplishment and all the models were super beautiful in their colorful and meaningful clothes. As a final note, I would just love to see Dutch models next year. I believe is important to also share the traditions of the country that received us 🙂

• Olympics & African evening

On Friday the day was again full of great activities for all the WUR community to join. Two of them were the Olympics and the African activities. These events happened during the whole evening and night, with an African party closing the day 2! At the Olympics, I was the referee of the basketball, and so, I could not join the Portuguese team. Still, I couldn’t have had more fun! The goal for each team was to win in different sports (volleyball, basketball, football, long-jump and badminton) but also to dress up in the most creative way possible! Some teams nailed it at both 😉 let’s hope next year there are even more countries showing their colors and reflecting how active they can be!

For the opening of the event, the WUR Wolf was the special guest to bring the Olympic flame.

• Latin Night

… or the craziest night of the week (year?)! What a great night it was. The Latin culture was amazingly well represented by different dance groups from countries like Bolivia and México, but also by typical snacks and workshops!

After all the workshops and performances it was time for the Dj to increase the volume and heat up the dancefloor. The party happened on The Spot and lasted until 3am  (for the lucky ones, the staff still had to stay and clean up. Luckily there was still plenty of food!). After seeing so many people sharing their Latin moves, I dare to say that no one needs the gym for the coming week…

As part of the ISOW organizing team, we received great feedback. There is no greater feeling than knowing people enjoyed a night that was a result of a lot of planning and teamwork.

• International classroom

This event was slightly different than the former ones I mentioned. At the International classroom, the objective was to discuss challenges of our university regarding internationalization. This event was organized by S&I and the big plus, I believe, was the opportunity to discuss such issues with teachers and see their point of view about this topic. They shared their classroom stories and professional experience. Some students identified themselves with the situations and give feedback on their perspectives.

All other events, including the Festival of Colours or Cultural Quiz, were also great to either spend a good time with friends and celebrate the cultural diversity of Wageningen.

Hopefully, I gave you enough reasons to participate in the OWW again next year! ?