Andrew Clark – Staff Writer
This week, the Asian Student Union (ASU) held a series of events leading up to the main event; the Asian Night Market. The Night Market will be held this Saturday, May 6, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Johnson Courtyard. This event is a celebration of Asian heritage and culture, and it includes many aspects of Asian culture with Asian cuisine, dance performances, and other exhilarating activities.
The leadup to the Night Market began on Tuesday night with a movie night at 7:00 p.m. in the IC lobby. Attendees watched Big Hero 6 while eating kimchi fried rice. It was a great break to hang out with friends, learn a little about Asian culture, and eat some great food all while enjoying a movie.
The next event occurs Thursday, May 4, at 7:00 p.m. in the Courtyard Cafe. This event will be an Asian Trivia Night that includes activities such as Kahoot and a Jeopardy game among other trivia games and activities. As with the theme of these events, the trivia will be based on Asian culture and other customs and traditions. There will also be food for those that attend as well as some prizes for the trivia winners as well.
Again, these events are all leading up to the grand event of the Asian Night Market. There will be a variety of things going on including lawn games, crafting events, challenges, and of course, food.
Attendees will be able to have fun, relax and play some lawn games such as spike ball and ring toss while talking to other people and learning about different Asian cultures. Food will be served and indulged upon by anyone that wants. There will also be crafting events such as bracelet-making and origami. Other games will also be played and enjoyed.
“There will be games, including ring toss, spike ball, shuttlecock, origami, cornhole, cup pong, bracelet making, and more. We will also be having a spicy ramen challenge, along with prizes for some of the games as well. Obviously, food is a big attraction too, which we will provide a variety of Asian cuisine including wontons, meat skewers, fried rice, Pat Bin Su, Takoyaki, and Musubi. Dance performances and karaoke will also be highlighted during the event which will be super fun to watch and enjoy!” Asian Student Union Co-President and Junior Sophie Schmitz said.
Following the majority of the festivities, there will be dance performances and opportunities for Karaoke. The dancing portion of the night will feature a group of performers, some being ASU members and some non-members as well. They will be performing a Vietnamese fan dance.
“We encourage everyone to come and all are most welcome at all of the events! The purpose of these events is to support the Asian community on campus and to spread knowledge of Asian cultures and traditions to students in a fun and enjoyable way where you can meet new people and have a good time,“ Schmitz said.
Anyone and everyone is welcome to come to these events. Anyone can come and support their Asian peers and classmates. The Asian Student Union wants people who don’t know a lot about Asian culture to come, participate, and have fun!
These events are all in an effort to promote and celebrate Asian culture on campus as well as to educate peers that may not know as much about Asian culture. They also provide a fun experience for students who need a break from end-of-the-year stress, big projects, and finals looming around the corner. ASU hopes to see you all at their events to have a fun and relaxing time while also enjoying wonderful food and activities.