Fusing cultures at Buffalo State

The International Student Organization is an on-campus club that brings together people from different parts of the world.

ISO allows students on the Buffalo State to come together through the use of language, music, food, and culture.

ISO hosted a Latin American and Caribbean event that brought together students from all over.

Bruna Reis is a 21 year old junior at Buffalo State and she is in charge of public relations for ISO. Reis came from Brazil and she enjoys being a part of ISO.

“It’s an amazing experience to learn about other cultures and it kind of opens your mind and your perspective on people and it broadens your horizon and it’s really such an amazing experience.”

            Bringing people together is a part of ISO plan to teach people at Buffalo State about the different types of people that attend the school.

“Every semester we have events for the Middle-Eastern and now, we had to do the Latin American and Caribbean one so it’s a way to reach out to every part of the world,” said Reis.

“We do have a large number of Latin-American and Caribbean students on campus, so we kind of had to do it to make them feel welcomed.”

During the Latin American and Caribbean program, there was a dance performers and Puerto Rican food from the Niagara Café. There was yellow rice and peas, pastelillo, and chicken.

“It’s really nice to order from an actual restaurant that can make the type of food that pertained to the program,” said Reis.

            Takisha Morancy, biology major, was exposed to the different cultures at Buffalo State during this program. Her family is of a Haitian decent, so this was somewhat of a new cultural experience for her.

“Even though I’m biology major, I like to consider myself as somebody who likes different things. My friend is on e-board of ISO, so it gave me a chance to come and experience the cultural diversity the program has to offer,” said Morancy.

The program also allowed Morancy to meet new people. “I met two new people that were Hispanic. There were Brazilians there, also Trinidadians there. There were a lot of different people there.”

ISO allows students to embrace their culture and to share it with the people around them.

Being a part of the international family, you kind of miss your culture and country so being a part of such an organization helps you feel welcomed,” said Reis.

“I want to make others feel welcomed when they come here so they can have a good time while they are here in America.”

To find out more about ISO, visit https://www.bengalconnect.com/organization/ISO/

 This is the Ulma Alma Dance Organization performance.

A taste of Laos

The Westside Bazaar’s filled with multiple shops, especially for food. There are a variety of foods to choose from. Some come from Thailand, Japan, Ethiopia, Burma, Peru and Laos. A&A Cookies is run by Boulivone Serixay and New Serixay.

New Serixay is from Laos and she has been in Buffalo for about 15 years. Serixay came to Buffalo to pursue an education but ended up getting sidetracked by work. 
            “I’m not in school right now but I do work. Maybe I might go back to school,” said Serixay. She hopes to pursue an education in the near future.

At A & A’s Cookies, Serixay serves a variety of foods. 
         “I sell samosa, sesame cookies, sesame balls,” said Serixay.

“I make different types of Laos’s food like chicken, sticky rice, and bubble tea. I also make food for customers who would like to order platters for a party."

Lots of people from all over buffalo come to the West Side Bazaar to enjoy foods from a variety of cultures.

SUNY Buffalo State student, Takisha Morancy experienced her very first samosa from A&A’s cookies. A samosa is a fried pastry filled with either meats or vegetables.

“It was a different taste because it had potatoes in it. I usually eat patties with meat but there was no meat,” said Morancy.

Morancy also said, “It was good but it was definitely different getting used to the taste in my palate but overall I liked it and I would eat it again.”

It was Morancy’s first time at the West Side Bazaar and she described her experience. 
“The West Side Bazaar is interesting because you can see how many cultures can coexist together in one store. It was unique because it challenged me to open my eyes up to someone else’s culture and you have to take a leap of faith when you try different foods.” 

            Like Morancy, Serixay also likes to try different foods from other cultures. 
“I like something different but I love to eat. I love American food and Japanese food. I love sushi but any Japanese food is good,” said Serixay.

            Serixay also enjoys making her culture's food in Buffalo. 
“I want costumers to try new things and I like that I am bringing a part of my country and our culture to Buffalo.”

            The West Side Bazaar is filled with lots of cultural experiences that should be experienced by everyone. “Even though we are all from different cultures, we can all coexist in one body,” said Morancy.

To find out more about the different foods at the West Side Bazaar, visit http://www.westsidebazaar.com/bazaar_kitchen.z

                 This is a pineapple bubble tea from A&A Cookies.

This is a potato samosa from A&A Cookies.