By Lexus Yamashiro | Staff Writer

The Honda International Opportunities Fund Grant will be sponsoring International Games Days in the Lama Library on Feb. 14 and 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This is the fourth year where students will have the opportunity to experience all of the diverse cultures from around the world through game play, button making, food sampling, and “Language Learning Speed Dating.”

Students can look forward to these food samples and more. (Photo by Lexus Yamashiro)

Joy Oehlers, the information literacy librarian, said that students will be able to play games based on countries such as Spain, Egypt, Iraq, and more. Several button designs will be available for students to make that represent the seven continents of the world. This year, the “Language Learning Speed Dating” stations will teach students Japanese, Korean, and Chinese with pictured flashcards.

Through these different stations, Oehlers said that the aim of International Games Days is to have students learn about the diverse cultures around the world. She described this as a social opportunity where students can build new relationships with students of different backgrounds, and also to relax and “de-stress.”

Prizes will be given out throughout the event hourly. Students will receive raffle tickets if they play different games and participate in the language learning stations. Prizes include stationary packs, Hydro Flasks, gift cards, USB drives, power banks, and more.

Student volunteers such as Zhong Yi and Jiawei Guan will be found circulating the library during the event to teach students how to make their own buttons, play games, and more.

“This event can connect the college students and [create] fun,” said Yi, a second-year student. “I hope [this event] will open for two or three times a year.”

“I want people to know [about] Chinese culture and [its] traditions so that it can [spark students’] interest in Chinese culture,” said Guan, who is a third-year student at KCC.

Oehlers said that she is still looking for students to volunteer for future International Games Days. Students who have studied abroad that work for this event will receive one Subway coupon for every half hour that they put in. Oehlers ideally would like study abroad students to come and share their experience of studying in another country.

For more information contact Joy Oehlers at aichin@hawaii.edu.