Pierce College is a place where many nationalities roam the campus and where diversity exists in a melting pot of culture.
A curious student may ask the question: where do these students come from? Where do they live? What do they eat? Why do they dress the way they dress? All these answers can be found at the International Students Club every Tuesday and Wednesday in room 1204.
Marketing major Abdullah Alawaja, 29, is one of these students at Pierce that stands out. He dresses in traditional Saudi Arabian clothes which include a thawb: a loose-fitting, long-sleeved white garmet around his body, white pants called a sirwal and a white headdress called a ghutra. He loves coming to Pierce not only to learn in school, but to get a multi-cultured experience at the ISC.
“This club is a great club because I get to learn about other cultures,” Alawaja said. “Not only do I get to learn about other cultures, but I get to teach about my culture as well.”
ISC not only introduces other cultures, but also breaks the ice with people from two rivaling countries. Such is the case with Pedram Kazemi, a 19-year-old engineering major who is from Iran and has lived in the U.S. for only three months, and Omri Gabay, a 19 year-old computer science major from Israel. Both countries have had political tension dating back to 2005, but these men look past the politics and have become very good friends.
“Omri has helped me a lot in my calculus class,” Kazemi said. “He helped me get the correct calculator for my class and helped me in getting other classes as well. I don’t care about the politics.”
Gabay described the relations between Iran and Israel as a love-hate relationship.
“On the surface it seems like the countries hate each other because of all the politics,” Gabay said. “But in reality, there’s love under the service.”
Such is the love at the ISC where students coming from other countries can not only make the transition but also make some friends along the way.
“This is a healthy group environment for students who have just moved to the U.S.,” Gabay said. “The club acclimates new students to American culture, yet at the same time allows others to share their culture as well.”
