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BASE Program
March 13, 2017 | Volume I, Issue 3
Gaining a worldly view at the International Fair
By Fiona Yu, Cecibel Tacuri, Christian Alvarez, Bryan Guilcamaigua
The annual International Fair was held in the Student Life Centre on March 8, and was run by the BASE Rep team, a volunteer organization in the BASE program that often holds meaningful activities for UWaterloo students.
 
At the International Fair, five stations with games were situated in an open square-like setting, with passageways for students to come in and visit the booths. These activities offered a good opportunity for students to get in touch with different culture. The methods used, primarily games, attracted a lot of people.

Did you know…?

• In Korea, babies are considered one year old at birth.
• Ecuador is the world’s largest exporter of bananas, accounting for up to 29% of all bananas exported in 2011.
• The number one hobby in China is stamp collecting.
• Charles Darwin visited Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands in 1835 and largely based his theory of evolution on the discoveries he made there.
• Red symbolizes happiness for the Chinese and is commonly used at Chinese festivals.

The annual International Fair was held in the Student Life Centre on March 8, and was run by the BASE Rep team, a volunteer organization in the BASE program that often holds meaningful activities for UWaterloo students.
 
At the International Fair, five stations with games were situated in an open square-like setting, with passageways for students to come in and visit the booths. These activities offered a good opportunity for students to get in touch with different culture. The methods used, primarily games, attracted a lot of people.

Draw your flag“Draw Your Flag” was one of the activities offered in which there were flags from most of the countries drawn, but the difficulty was to draw while blindfolded. It is incredible to see how proud students were when they were drawing their flags. In the “Language Challenge and How to Flirt” station, visitors learned basic phrases such as “hello”, “goodbye” and “you are beautiful”, and the numbers from one to ten in Spanish, Korean and Chinese. As hilarious as it sounds, volunteers also taught visitors how to flirt in these three languages.

How to flirt stationAnother activity was the trivia game in which several pictures of well-known places around the world were projected. Guests had to guess where these pictures were from. Another fun game organized was based on passing small balls from one bowl to another by using chopsticks. Some students found it challenging with their first try, but they kept trying until they could do it perfectly.

Ecuador and treatsTickets for snacks from the food station were given to people who participated in all the activities. Here, a variety of snacks and drinks from different cultures were offered. In addition, with the tickets, guests could choose handmade bracelets from Ecuador instead of food. The event was a huge success with both BASE and UWaterloo students.

From a visitor's perspective
By Christian Alvarez

The moment I entered into the Great Hall, I could appreciate all the fun activities the BASE Rep group organized for this event. My favourite activity was the snack station, because you could taste a typical snack from one of the volunteers’ countries by participating in any of the games they prepared to show how proud they were about their cultures.

During my visit, I had the opportunity to talk with other visitors and ask them what they thought about this enjoyable fair. Most of them agreed with my idea, sharing our cultures by giving away free food is an awesome practice. Other people confessed to me that they did not even know about Ecuador before that moment, but it looked like a place that is worth visiting someday. As an attendee, I can assure you that the last event organized by the BASE Rep team was successful and fun to attend.

Photos by Kevin Jimenez Albuja & Ryan Connell
Celebrating diversity at Cultural Caravan
By Mariak Santino Achuoth & Kevin Jimenez Albuja
CaravanThe SLC Great Hall was packed to capacity with a multitude of students from all over the campus, on March 9. They all turned up in considerable numbers to mark the University of Waterloo Cultural Caravan event, which is organized annually by the Federation of Students.

The event is designed to educate and entertain the students by showing them a variety of cultural performances that celebrate the cultural diversity of the UW community. The event featured 11 clubs, each representing their own cultural background such as the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) and the UW Indian Cultural Association (UWICA). The clubs showcased their extraordinary talents with breathtaking performances. The performances included a Vietnamese cultural dance, a West African dance, an Indian dance, a hip-hop dance and a Caribbean dance.

According to the officials in charge of event logistics, the event aims to foster learning about the rich heritage of cultural diversity present at the University of Waterloo. It reminds us about the cultural background and values that determine our culture, customs and traditions. “It gives us the opportunity to be in touch with our roots.”, as eloquently said by the Master of Ceremony.

Brad NguyenTo students, the event was more than just a presentation on cultural heritage. According to Brad Nguyen, a former 2016-2017 BASE student who performed with the Vietnamese Student Association, Cultural Caravan is all about personal connections and building your leadership skills.

“Dancing styles and harmony require a lot of coordination and teamwork. After I participated in the dance for a period of one month, I was able to make many friends, more than I could imagine,” Nguyen said. 

Besides, stress management was another quality that he gained from participating at the event. The warm interactions with friends in the practice provides him relief from academic stress.

“I think it is great experience to me to be part of Cultural Caravan,” Brad concluded.

Cultural Caravan is about discovering and presenting the cultural diversity that can be found at the University of Waterloo. This diversity is introduced by students proud of their countries that want to demonstrate their roots and traditions, as well as the exotic dresses and costumes that represent the spirit of their nations.

CaravanOne of the most interesting facts about Cultural Caravan is that it is possible to find completely different styles of dances and songs in one place. It is like finding small portions of many countries all united to produce a show that, in some cases, could be the inspiration for other clubs to be part of the event, or even for other people to travel to those countries.

Cultural Caravan also presents a pre-show entertainment before the main event starts. These series of mini events are performed by other clubs, such as the UW Magic Club and the AcaBellas, that provide impressive presentations delighting the public passing by that may eventually decide to stay and watch the whole event.

Cultural Caravan gives those involved an opportunity to get in touch with their background and learn about new cultures from a different perspective. This event may be considered as the cohesion of a diverse community which represents the University of Waterloo. Moreover, it is worth highlighting that most of the participants felt quite comfortable and eager to share their culture with the public.

Knowing about other cultures can give us the opportunity to grow as human beings as well as to find new paths to open our mind and discover unknown traditions or costumes from people who might be our classmates, friends or future colleagues.

Photos by Kevin Jimenez Albuja
Join International Peer Community this Spring
International Peer Community (IPC) is now recruiting students for the spring term!

IPC matches you with upper-year UW student mentors who can answer your questions, take you to events on campus, and practice conversational English with you. By joining the IPC, you can meet other students and try new things together in a supportive environment.
Register for International Peer Community
BASE Events This Week
» CHECK-IN MEETINGS
Monday, March 13
Tuesday, March 14
Check the BASE Bulletin Board for time/location

You must attend your meeting.

View this week's schedule.

» ENGINEERING MEET & GREET
Monday, March 13
4pm-5pm | Renison Cafeteria


» NEWSWRITING TEAM MEETING
Tuesday, March 7
3:30pm-4:30pm | Room 1928


» "MOTIVATING OTHERS" LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP
Wednesday, March 15
4pm-6pm | Room 2106

To attend: Register on the BASE Bulletin Board.

» SCIENCE & AHS MEET & GREET
Thursday, March 16
12pm - 1pm | Room 1926

To attend: Register on the BASE Bulletin Board by Tuesday, March 14.
Let's Play Badminton
By Geisson Velasco Arteaga, Stefanny Perez, Ronny Paredes & Israel Moya
Badminton is easier than you think - it is a sport you can learn easily.

The sport, also known as shuttlecock, originated in Eurasia more than 2,000 years ago. With its modern version developed in the Great Britain in the 19th century, it was played only by the higher classes of British society as a pastime. Badminton consists of hitting a shuttlecock across a net with a racquet. There are many ways to play badminton; however, the most popular forms of the game are singles, where one player is at each side of the net, and doubles, where two players are at each side of the net.
 
Although badminton can be played anywhere as long as there is a net, a shuttlecock and a couple of racquets available, formal games are played in a rectangular indoor court. The goal of badminton is to score points by striking the shuttlecock with the racquet and landing it within the half court of the other player. It is also important to take into consideration that the shuttlecock must be stricken only once before passing the net to the other half of the court. The game ends when the shuttlecock strikes the floor or any kind of illegal movement has been penalized.

Nowadays, badminton has become very popular in many parts of the world, especially in Asia and Europe, where many people of different ages participate in the sport.
 
Since last term, Renison University College’s English Language Institute (ELI) has been hosting different badminton games as de-stressing activities for BASE and EFAS students. The games have been designed for students to take a break from studies and get some exercise. At the same time, these activities have been perfect to socialize, meet new people, and make friends by sharing experiences with others.

ELI hosted the last badminton game for BASE students on Friday, March 10. The players doubled the number of the attendants of the previous game, demonstrating the students’ involvement and interest in the sport. Playing badminton also contributed to the cross-cultural experiences of international students who are learning from the richness of international customs, sports and other cultural features. Playing new sports is definitely another way to explore the world while having fun.

Are there any other sports you would like to try? The only question is, why not?

Photos by Zayana Garcia Almeida
Social Media Champion 
Leon Ip is this week's winner! 

A new week has now begun!
Compete this week for your chance to win...

» UWaterloo plush goose, donated by UW Retail Services
» A sturdy basket, donated by UW Food Services
» Waterloo Engineering bookmark light & USB key
» Warriors t-shirt, donated by Waterloo Athletics
» Cool UWaterloo swag!

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