German treats, dances and culture at McMahon

The smell of strudel was in the air this past Tuesday night, as Global Houses’ Global Council hosted the first Cultural Night of the Fall Semester at the Global House Lounge in McMahon, where students were invited to come and learn about the culture, food, clothing and dance of Germany.

Upon entering, attendees were treated with the chance to sample various German delicacies, such as traditional pretzel bread, an apple-flavored German soft drink known as Apfelschorle, and for dessert, Haribo brand gummy bears, a German and American favorite.

During the course of the night, two UConn students, Deanne Wallace and Christina Ostner, each put on presentations about their experiences’ German culture, teaching participants about different aspects of traditional and modern German culture.  Some topics that were discussed included German Clothing, such as Lederhosen and the Tirolerhüte, a traditional German hat.  

There was also a lesson on the origins of Oktoberfest, and the ways that it is typically celebrated, other than just drinking beer.  During this portion, Ostner taught the audience two German dances.  The first is known as the Fliegerlied, a traditional folk dance preformed at Oktoberfest.  The second was Anton Aus Tirol, a more recent song that was written by Austrian entertainer DJ Ötzi.  On this, Adam Bestrom, a 3rd-semester resource economics major, said, “When I came here tonight, I knew I wanted to learn how to dance.  And I can proudly say I’ve left having learned how to dance in a German style.  Tonight was great and Global Council did a great job organizing and putting it on.”

Students such as Sukriti Sekhri, a 5th semester business major, found the night to be informative and fun.  “I’ll be honest, “ said Sekhri, “Originally I only came because my roommate brought me here.  But having come, and having the knowledge I have now, I would come again and again!  I can’t wait for cultural night next semester!”

Kathleen McWilliams, 3rd-semester English and history double major, President of Global Council, staff writer for The Daily Campus and the Organizer for Cultural Night, when asked why Germany was the selected month, had this to say, “When we originally decided on which culture to represent for the first of our cultural nights, we looked at the proportion of exchange students living in Global House this year, and Germany was the predominating force.  We want our community to be exposed to the cultures that they’re going to be involved with over the semester, even if those cultures are ones that are already predominant in the world community.  Additionally, it’s a way for Global House to connect with EuroTech, our Learning Community neighbors in McMahon.  We’re not just trying to create a global community, but to foster one right here in UConn.”

Students will have a chance to experience another culture next month, when the Cultural Night series continues at McMahon.