On November 29th, 2017, a fantastic feast was held on the ground floor of School of Chinese Language and Literature (SCLL) of Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), as the yearly “Cool Sale” organized by Chinese Language Training Center returned to warm us in the cold winter again. This activity was fully supported by SCLL, with 30 classes in total participated in it.
Unlike the previous ones, this year’s “Cool Sale” was first voted on the Wechat platform through the subscription account, so that teachers and students on or off the campus could vote for the posters of different classes. The page of voting was viewed more than 7,000 times. In the end, the advanced class E1 was awarded the first prize, with C3 and D1 second and A1, A3 and B1 third. This warm-up activity quickly aroused people’s enthusiasm about “Cool Sale”, and allowed them to get an early glimpse through the posters of the food that would be on sale.
On the day of “Cool Sale”, the special food from various countries attracted teachers and students on and off the campus, and some parents even brought along their children. The rich variety of food from different countries like Thai food Tom Yum Kung, Italian food Tiramisu, and Spanish Sangria was so tasteful that people indulged in the delicacies, unwilling to leave. Students, wanting to promote the food of their countries, came up with all kinds of ideas to attract attention, like putting on the same clothes and dancing together. Their enthusiasm was so contagious that teachers and students who attended “Cool Sale” actively interacted with the foreign students, making it a spectacular event.
“Cool Sale” served as a great platform of communication for international students, as they not only demonstrated their own cultures through food, but also deepened understandings about other cultures. They actively communicated with other international students in Chinese, and found the fun in using it. In addition, they also brought home with a sense of accomplishment when they managed to talk with Chinese people in Chinese.
