“Kamusta Ka? – How are you?” asks my Filipino neighbor.

“Kamusta Ka? – How are you?” asks my Filipino neighbor. Very well, but how do you say that in his language, Filipino, also known as Tagalog? It is good that we have a few minutes to chat and learn a few words of a new language. Language connects people, and we experience this in Friedensau especially during the Week of Cultures, a highlight of our campus life. Of course, we also live together here the rest of the year, different cultures, different languages, different appearances, different views, and everyone has their own unique story. During the Week of Cultures, this becomes visible and tangible – with all the senses. The highlight and conclusion of the week, with various cultural, sporting, and culinary offerings, is the Festival of Cultures on Sunday afternoon. Students and staff from over 30 nations meet in the colorfully decorated culture barn and share their lives and histories with each other through information and presentations about their different countries, with dances and songs from different cultures and in different languages. Not only is there a feast for the eyes with colorful traditional clothing from different tribes, but we can also try some of the traditional dishes from the countries our students come from.

Many residents of Friedensau look forward to this opportunity all year round. With fufu, jollof rice, ukazi, chapati and much more, we experienced culinary diversity. This special festival is not the only time we get to know each other and get to know each other better. Throughout the academic year, we experience happy times and joyful moments together, but also strokes of fate, learning and work stress and other everyday challenges. We learn from and with each other. We experience that cultural diversity enriches us.

“Kamusta Ka?” “Me ho ye.– I'm fine.” That is Twi, another of the many languages spoken here. During this Week of Cultures, I discovered and learned new things again and am looking forward to another colorful year on our campus (Michelle Koch).

All photos: Impressions of the Weekend of Cultures (all photos: FAU | Daniel Offei)