Global Grounds held their first gathering for international students and world travelers Sept. 10 with coffee, snacks and discussion.

Every month the Adult Student Center and International Student Organization co-sponsor Global Grounds, in an effort to gather international students and world travelers together to socialize.

Each month there is a different coffee and snack to go along with the discussion theme.

“The theme this time was dark coffee with dark Chex Mix because we were discussing a book called, “Coffee: A Dark History,” Kimberly Pelle,coordinator of Adult Student Center, said.

Global Grounds is a structured event where people can talk about a country’s culture and traditions, Pelle said.

Students gathered around a table in the Adult Student Center with coffee and snacks in hand to introduce themselves.

Some had world travel experiences to share while others were from Croatia, Malaysia and India.

“I love meeting people from other cultures, languages and accents,” Linda Morten, Pelle’s student assistant, said.

“I am not a world traveler by any means, but I would love to travel more,” Morten, who  has traveled to France and Mexico, said.

“I hope to travel to the Philippines next year,” Marilou Warner,  history sophomore, said. “I love meeting other people and hearing about them.”

Some students expressed difficulty finding the Adult Student Center to attend Global Grounds.

“We have moved three times in one year,” Pelle said.

The Adult Student Center is located on the third floor of the University Center South.

The next Global Grounds is going to be held on Oct. 15 at 12:15 p.m.

“For some of the next Global Grounds, we might be discussing things like fair trade, exchanging coffee recipes, another book, coffee and health, how decaf came about and tea,” Pelle said. “One student even wants to do a Henna demonstration, since she’s from India.”

By MARY LYONS
Staff Writer
marlyons@ius.edu