International students will be sharing information and food about their homelands at Brock's annual Celebration of Nations.

Brock University will be celebrating its cultural diversity next week with the return of Celebration of Nations.

The annual event, which happens March 7 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pond Inlet, is a showcase of some of the more than 80 countries represented among Brock students.

“It’s basically awareness of the cultures here because people don’t realize we have students from so many countries,” said Arthur Chen, manager of International Student Services.

Students from 22 countries, including Egypt, Germany, Nigeria, Israel and Saudi Arabia, will have displays featuring information about their homelands and samples of food. The students themselves will also be on hand to answer questions.

“When students come out and talk about their home country, it’s really different than what you think you know about that country,” Chen said. “(Students) are excited. When they’re away from home, they appreciate when people understand their culture. They’re excited to talk about their own country.”

Last year, about 100,000 international students came to Canada to study, Chen said. About 2,000 international students attend Brock, including 400 students learning English as a second language.

“Internationalization is a way to bring the world to the University and bring the University to the world,” Chen said. “The international students bring us the world so we can see the world here at home.”