Journey Around the World in One Evening

Imagine you had the opportunity to go on a spontaneous “journey” to Iran, Armenia, Syria, Bangladesh or Poland and gain unique insights into each country's culture and tradition -- in just one evening. That’s precisely what the participants of “Around the World in One Evening” were able to do last January at FSU Jena.

Students from different countries took the opportunity to get to know each other in a very personal setting and exchange stories about their culture, tradition and interests. They “traveled” to different countries which were represented by students from all over the globe attending the event. Students from Ukraine, Poland, Bangladesh, Italy, Nigeria, Spain, Namibia, China, Iran, Armenia, Russia, Syria, Moldavia, Germany and Bulgaria participated in the event.

In one-on-one conversations the participants found out about intercultural differences as well as the many aspects all people have in common – though they come from different origins, believe in different gods or have a different look.

Through organizing the “Around the World in One Evening” event, Melton Fellows hoped to give a platform to people who are open to intercultural exchange and meeting people from other countries to learn about their realities. In addition, through this event, attendees contributed to a reduction of stereotypes that lead people to different behavior or attitudes towards "otherness".

As one student from Namibia described, “The event definitely changed my view. It opened my eyes to other people and I got to think about my own country from a different perspective.”