Issue date: 3/30/09 Section: News

Lakeland College student Tiffany Ann Ignalaga opens the fourth annual Asian Heritage Month Reception with a performance of Wushu martial arts titled "Wong Fei Hong" on Sunday in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union. (Karolina Strack / The Daily Eastern News)

Students will get to stuff their faces with as many ramen noodles as they can in three minutes using chopsticks at 5 p.m. today in the Thomas Hall basement party room.

The event is a fundraiser to help send the bodies of the four students who died in a March 21 car accident near St. Louis to India.

The victims included three Eastern graduate students, Anusha Anumolu, Anitha Lakshmi Veerapaneni and Priya Darshini Muppavarapu, and Veerapaneni's cousin from Aurora.

The event costs $3 to participate. It did not start out as a fundraiser, as it was planned last semester.

"Since I'm an international student, I heard about the accident," said Ayaka Hisanaga, a junior psychology major. "And I just wanted to do something, (so we) found a way to donate money."

Hisanaga is the vice president for the Asian-American Association, which will begin its celebration of Asian Heritage Month in April.

Asian Heritage Month is set in May but has been celebrated at Eastern in April for four years because students are away for summer break in May.

"We have so many great resources on our campus, so many different cultures represented, it is eye opening," said Krishna Thomas.

Thomas, who said around 1 percent of Eastern's campus is Asian, is the assistant director for faculty development, but gets involved in Asian Heritage Month every year.

"I've been around Filipino culture my whole life, but every year I learn something different," she said.

Elizabeth Hood, president of the Asian-American Association, is also Filipino.

"I come from a family where everyone is adopted, and so I was really raised American," the English education major said. "It's funny, because I look at other families and I'm like, 'Wow, you all look alike, you all act alike.' To me, that's strange because I'm so used to the dynamics of contrast."

Hisanaga said one of the biggest differences between America and Japan is the table manners.

She was surprised as a freshman to see the way everyone used their silverware in Taylor Dining Center.

Hisanaga said another difference is that Americans are very honest.





"Our culture is like, 'It's better to hide things,'" Hisanaga said. "I was so surprised that people were like, whenever they made a mistake, 'Oh, it's my bad; I'm sorry.' We try to hide it in Japan."

Both Hood and Hisanaga said anyone is welcome to join the Asian-American Association.

In fact, most of the association is American.

"We really strive to make it welcoming and I think it's evident by the fact that we have a diverse group," Hood said.

Hood said that Asian Heritage Month is a time of exploration and awareness.

A kickoff reception Sunday in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union included a martial arts performance, a Japanese lullaby performance by Hisanaga, a modern Nepalese dance and the traditional fashion show.

"The past two years, what we did was put on Asian fashion clothes and with the explanation of how to wear those clothes," Hisanaga said. "This year our theme is crossing borders; so what we (did was mix) up American fashion and Asian clothes."

Other events like how to make origami, a belly dancer, a yoga activity, a cookbook sale and a book discussion about "Bushidao" will be hosted throughout the month of April.

Calendar

• Thursday - Asian Film Series I: "Crossing the Line" 5 p.m., Lumpkin Hall, Room 2030

• Monday, April 6 - Asian American Association: Origami 5 p.m., Coleman Hall, Room 2130

• Tuesday, April 7 - "Life on the Other Side: What It's Like to Live in a Foreign Culture?" 5 p.m., Effingham Room

• Wednesday, April 8 - "Alumni Talk" noon, Charleston-Mattoon Room


Sam Sottosanto can be reached at 581-7942 or at slsottosanto@eiu.edu.

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