The Humber concourse was filled with Mauritius information, put together by the Humber International centre.
PHOTO BY BIANCA BYKHOVSKY
[SlideDeck2 id=13736]
By: Bianca Bykhovsky
National foods, photography and cultural artifacts from the Indian Ocean were on display in Rexdale Thursday as Mauritians brought island life to the halls of Humber college.
As temperatures in Toronto dipped towards freezing, the culture of the Republic of Mauritius, located 2,000 km off the East Coast of Africa, went on display at the college’s north concourse.
“This is a student- run event,” said Michael Keefe, Humber international student advisor. “The videos talk about why Mauritian students chose Canada. Every day this week we had a different culture including Indian, Jamaican, and Mexican, followed by Russian tomorrow,”
Students from Mauritius were joined by volunteers from other cultures in the event, sponsored by the college’s International Centre.
Some students volunteered because they wanted others to learn more about their country.
“It was not a culture shock coming to Canada because we are taught about other places in the world (while) growing up, and it is common for us to travel out of the country,” said second-year interior design student Jessica Teckson. “A lot of people don’t know that (Mauritius) is an African country, said Tekson, now heading into her second Canadian winter.
Citizens of Mauritius practice a number of different religions, but Hindu continues to be the most widespread while French is the most popular language, said Teckson.
The average household dinner table will always have rice on the table, as well as salt fish. The cuisine is mainly Caribbean style, said Teckson. The currency is the Mauritian Rupee and when it comes to sports, horseback riding and soccer are the most popular
Teckson recommends checking- out the country’s national dance and music called “Sega.”
What does she miss most?
The weather.
“The lowest it gets in Mauritius is around 15 degrees,” she said.