HAWK International Office organises a 'country breakfast' for the first time
Not only food and drink were served at the traditional Turkish breakfast, but also a look into Turkish customs and cultural backgrounds. „Food brings people together and is always an incentive for good conversation.", summarizes Alyssa Nüse her experience of this International Event. The 22-year-old Student works as a student assistant for the International Office and is currently in her Master's studies for architecture at the Faculty of Architecture, Engineering and Conservation. She helped organize this event and attended it as well.
The three Turkish students approached the International Office for the format of the International Event and wanted to organize a traditional Turkish breakfast. „The concept of a breakfast was a first for us and was well received.", says Annika Kerknawi, a counsellor at the International Office, „The International Events are there to give our international students a possibility to show off their culture and home country." It is a chance to bring international and German students together and make connections easier.
The Café Kolja was the location for the event, a meeting place of the evangelical students and catholic university congregation Hildesheim at the Marienburger Höhe. „A heavenly smell spread through the Café Kolja during the morning.", remembers Nüse about the day of the breakfast. Around twenty international and German students accepted the invitation and were met with delicious treats like Börek (pasty rolls filled with cheese or meat), Menemen (fried egg with vegetables) and a variety of vegetables and fruit. Tea was served during breakfast.
The highlight of the event was the strong and well-seasoned coffee and the reading of the coffee grounds at the bottom of the cups. But it needed a short introduction before the readings could begin: How do I turn over my cup? What do I want to know? The guests were impressed by the coffee ground reading skills of the Turkish students, but the revelations will remain a secret, remembers Nüse: „It inspired a wonderful discussion about customs, rituals, magic and beliefs and was an interesting insight into the different home countries of the attending students."
