International Week is a time of the year that students get to experience and taste the different cultures from around the world.

Students look forward to this event that will take place on Feb 15 to 18.

One of the main events is the day when clubs represent different countries and prepare food during lunch. By displaying a wide gamut of cuisines, clubs are hoping to expose students to cultures from around the world.

“It is really important to accept other cultures, and Brea is not completely diverse, and I think that it is time to embrace other cultures that are around us,” said Elizabeth Gwaltney, senior.

The focus of International Week will be cultural activities. On Tuesday, the Orange County Performing Arts will be performing shows that display Polynesian culture. On Wednesday, a bagpiper will be performing during lunch.

On Thursday, there will be a steel drum parade, and on Friday, it will be International Dress Up Day.

Students will be able to dress up from different cultures and countries, and the clubs will be showcasing their foods from the countries that they are representing.

Each club will spend the time preceding International Week to plan cultural activities and different foods for the week.

“We are going to give samosas out at lunch, which is an Indian food that is a deep fried filled appetizer. Our club is going to dress up and embrace the Indian culture, and we will provide Henna to students for three dollars,” said Arleen Chadha, senior and co-president of Club India.

French Club will be preparing France’s signature treats, including nutella, baguettes, and crème puffs during lunch.

Megan Mashal, junior, and president of French Club, said, “International Week is so important because the club is based on the culture of France, and we want others to appreciate it.”

Chinese and Korean club, BSU, French Club, Toyo Club are some of the many clubs that will be representing different cultures from around the world during International Week.

Christina An, senior, and secretary of the Korean Club, is excited to take part in International Week. For food day, the club is making Korean barbecue along with different types of rice rolls.

In order to purchase food for International Week, Korean Club raised a total of $100 during Evening of the Arts by having a bake sale, selling cookies, tea, and hot chocolate.

Chinese Club will be giving out fried rice of meat and vegetables and fortune cookies during lunch.

“We want to showcase our culture, and share it with other people to be a part of it,” said Stephanie Chieng, junior, and vice president of Chinese club.

However, unlike the Korean and Chinese Clubs, some ethnicity-specific clubs have been chosen to represent countries for International Week other than their own.

Toyo is a club that represents volunteers who help in the Korean community. But this year, the club has been tasked with representing the country of Armenia instead of South Korea.

“I like how we didn’t receive Korea because we can learn more about other cultures,” said Kristen Park, sophomore and Toyo Club vice president.

Likewise, Red Cross will be representing the country of Vietnam.

“We’ll be making spring rolls and egg rolls and other food that we hope students will enjoy,” said Irwin Nhan, junior and Red Cross president.

Japanese Cultural Dance Club will be performing special dances to display their hobby. Black Student Union (BSU) will be preparing fried chicken with mashed potatoes.

Through their cultural displays and activities, the different clubs on campus hope to celebrate the timeless benefits of diversity and make International Week an enjoyable time for students.