MESA Night
Ever wanted to have a good laugh while eating some delicious food? Well, I did exactly that this past Saturday. Every spring, the Middle Eastern Student Association (MESA) hosts MESA night. The night is full of authentic Middle Eastern Food, student performances, and a guest speaker. My friend and I went to the Student Life Center around 7 PM for the event.
MESA Night definitely fulfilled and exceeded my expectations. The food was catered from a Middle Eastern restaurant right on 21st Avenue. Three different student organizations performed: Vandy Taal, the MESA belly dancers, and Jugal Vandy. Vandy Taal is the South Asian fusion a-capella group, and Jugal Vandy is a band which plays Middle Eastern music. This year, the guest speaker was Ahmed Ahmed, an Egyptian-American comedian. He was hilarious, and he had the whole crowd laughing in no time. Speaking of the crowd, there were over 400 in attendance!
What was great about MESA Night was that it was free. I enjoy taking advantage of all of the free opportunities on campus. While the event was free, they were selling t-shirts. The proceeds are be donating to help support refugee camps in response to the Syrian crisis. I decided to buy one. While it is not manifested in my physical characteristics, I am half-Persian. I enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about MESA and my own culture. I had a great experience, and I can’t wait to attend MESA Night next year!