MOLINE, Ill. — For the first time, Augustana College took students on an international tour without having to leave the Quad Cities.
The school started "cultural market excursions," where students get to visit several ethnic food stores around town. The launch of the new program coincides with International Education Week, which is dedicated to celebrating international education and cultural exchange worldwide.
"I have not seen all of these ingredients for a long time, so it feels really happy to be here today," sophomore Hoang Trieu said. Trieu is helping Augustana turn the trips into a bi-weekly tradition.
The trips are not only a chance for international students to stock up on hometown comforts, but also for students to learn more about world products. "Maybe some day in the future they will be a global citizen, so they would not be too stranger to these ingredients," Trieu said.
The first excursion brought students across Avenue of the Cities to Jasper Asian & African Mini Mart, Namaste Plaza, Khai Market and World Food Market.
Pritisha Malla and Sushmita Adhikari bought ingredients for two Nepalese chicken dishes, which they plan on cooking for a workshop on campus.
"We can interact with a lot of international students, a lot of domestic students, and a lot of people from different backgrounds," Malla said.
"We do miss a lot of stuff. We get homesick, but we have friends that are families to us," Adhikari added.
For the fall 2023 semester, Augustana College welcomed 149 new international students in total.
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