Ramapo International

Hindi Language Happy Hour
2019-03-12 13:00 - 14:00, 2019-03-26 13:00 - 14:00, 2019-04-02 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | ASB-123, Roukema Ctr Conference Room
[ASB-123] Would you like to practice your Hindi language skills? The Roukema Center for International Education offers Hindi Language Happy Hour every Tuesday from 1-2pm in ASB-123. All levels are welcome. Come join us!For more information, please email goabroad@ramapo.edu or call ext. 7533.

Isra and Mi'raj
2019-03-13
The Isra and Mi’raj (Arabic: الإسراء والمعراج‎, al-’Isrā’ wal-Mi‘rāj) are the two parts of a Night Journey that, according to Islam, Muhammad took during a single night around the year 621 CE. It has been described as both a physical and spiritual journey. A brief sketch of the story is in surah al-Isra of the Quran, and other details come from the hadith, which are collections of the reports, teachings, deeds and sayings of Muhammad. In the Isra’, Muhammad traveled on the steed Buraq to “the farthest mosque”. Traditionally, later Muslims identified the mosque as a location in the physical world, the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. At the mosque, Muhammad led other prophets in prayer. He then ascended to the heavens in the Mi‘raj. The remembrance of this journey is one of the most significant events in the Islamic calendar.

German Language Happy Hour
2019-03-13 12:00 - 13:00, 2019-03-27 12:00 - 13:00, 2019-04-03 12:00 - 13:00 | ASB-123, Roukema Ctr Conference Room
[ASB-123]
Would you like to practice your German language skills? The Roukema Center for International Education offers German Language Happy Hour every Wednesday from 12-1pm in ASB-123. All levels are welcome. Come join us!
For more information, please email goabroad@ramapo.edu or call ext. 7533.

Japanese Language Happy Hour
2019-03-13 13:00 - 14:00, 2019-03-27 13:00 - 14:00, 2019-04-03 13:00 - 14:00 | ASB-123, Roukema Ctr Conference Room
[ASB-123]
Would you like to practice your Japanese language skills? The Roukema Center for International Education offers Japanese Language Happy Hour every Wednesday from 1-2pm in ASB-123. All levels are welcome. Come join us!
For more information, please email goabroad@ramapo.edu or call ext. 7533.

Fukushima: A Reflection
2019-03-13 17:00 - 21:00 | AC-211
[AC-211]
Learn about the various impacts and responses to the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, as well as a look at how the city has begun to recover. Enrich your understanding of East Asia with a student presentation of INTL 204 Peoples and Cultures of Asia on Wednesday, March 13. There are two components to our presentation: a film screening of “Munen,” a film about fire fighters in Fukushima (5-6 p.m.) and the student presentation (6-9 p.m.) For more information, please contact Neriko Doerr at ndoerr@ramapo.edu

Chinese Language Hour
2019-03-14 14:00 - 16:00, 2019-03-28 14:00 - 16:00, 2019-04-04 14:00 - 16:00 | B-127 [Topken World Language Lab]
[B-127/Topken World Language Lab]
Would you like to practice your Chinese language skills? Chinese Language Hours are offered every Thursday from 2-4 pm in B-127, World Language Lab. All levels are welcome. Come join us!
For more information, please email goabroad@ramapo.edu or call ext. 7533.

Italian Night
2019-03-15 17:00 - 18:00, 2019-03-22 17:00 - 18:00, 2019-03-29 17:00 - 18:00, 2019-04-05 17:00 - 18:00 | Birch Tree Cafe
Every Friday night, beginning September 7 at 5 p.m., join other students for all of the Italian classic dishes at Italian Night at the Birch Tree Inn.

Lenape Language Class
2019-03-16 11:00 - 14:00 | Sustainable Center [SEC-104]
[Sustainability Center/SEC-104]Lenape Language Class held on the third Saturday of each month from 11am-2pm.

Holi
2019-03-20 - 2019-03-21
The festival of Holi is celebrated on the day after the full moon in early March every year. The day before Holi is known as Holi Dahan and can be a holiday in some states.
History of HoliHoli was originally a festival to celebrate the start of Spring, good harvests and fertility of the land. The first mentions of it date back to a poem from the 4th century.
Today it is better known as a symbolic commemoration of a legend from Hindu Mythology.
The story is that there was once a king who resented his son, Prince Prahlada, worshipping Lord Vishnu. He tries to murder the prince on several occasions but fails each time.
Finally, the king’s sister Holika who is said to be immune to burning, sits with the boy inside a fire. However, the prince emerges unhurt, while his aunt burns in the fire and dies.
Holi remembers this event, and huge bonfires are burnt on the eve of Holi as a symbolic representation.
The festival is also associated with the eternal love of Krishna and Radha, and hence, Holi is spread over 16 days in Vrindavan as well as Mathura – the two cities with which Lord Krishna shared a deep affiliation.
How is Holi celebrated?Holi is marked by colourful parades accompanied by folk songs, dances and a general sense of relaxed fun.
Nowadays Holi is an excuse for young Indians to shed their inhibitions and caste differences for a day of fun. Teenagers spend the day flirting and misbehaving in the streets, and everyone chases everyone else around, throwing brightly colored powder and water over each other.
The tradition of throwing brightly coloured powder and water is said to come from the love story between two Hindu gods, Radha and Krishna. Krishna is famously depicted as having bright blue skin and the legend has it that he was sad he didn’t have a fair complexion like Radha. He told his mother about this and she suggested that instead of wishing for fair skin, he should instead smear Radha with paint, so they both have coloured skin; hence the tradition of trying to ‘colour’ others as a sign of affection at Holi.
The main colours of the powders have symbolic meanings. Blue represents Krishna, Red represents love and fertility, green symbolises spring and new growth and yellow is the colour of turmeric, a spice native to India and a natural remedy.
The festival begins on the night of the full moon. Fires are lit on street corners to cleanse the air of evil spirits and bad vibes, and to symbolize the destruction of the wicked Holika, after whom the festival was named.
The following morning, the streets fill with people running, shouting, giggling and splashing.
DoljatraIn 2018, Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal celebrate Doljatra. Also known as Dola Purnima, Dolyatra or Dol-Jatra, it is essentially the same festival as Holi, but has added emphasis as it is the last festival of the Bengali year.
Did you know?During the festival, people are heard saying ‘Bura na mano, Holi hai!’ which means ‘do not mind, it’s Holi’, which acts as a way of avoiding any responsibility for any pranks played on Holi.

FREE Passport Photos
2019-03-27 10:00 - 12:00 | ASB-123
[ASB-123] In preparation for Ramapo’s Passport day on Feb. 13 (10am-2pm in ASB-12), the College’s photographer will offer FREE passport-photos. For non-Ramapo faculty, staff or students, there will be a fee of $10. For questions please contact international@ramapo.edu or visit: https://www.ramapo.edu/international/passport-days/.

Taste of Asia
2019-03-27 12:00 - 13:00 | J.Lee’s
[J.Lee’s] Come and taste all different kinds of snacks from Asia. There are sweet and savory snacks, and plenty to choose from. Email nchangra@ramapo.edu for information.

Diversity in Healthcare & Human Services Symposium
2019-03-29 08:00 - 17:00 | Trustee’s Pavilion
[Trustee’s Pavilion]Website: https://www.ramapo.edu/international/diversity-in-health-care-and-human-services/

Asian Pacific Islander Month Opening Proclamation
2019-04-01 13:00 - 14:00 | Friends Hall
[Friends Hall (SC-219)] Join the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Compliance for the Opening Proclamation of Asian Pacific Islander Month on Monday, April 1 at 1 p.m. in Friends Hall. We will announce the theme of the month and watch a performance. All are welcome.
Sponsored by the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Compliance. Email gabbybok@gmail.com for information.

Passport Day
2019-04-03 10:00 - 14:00 | ASB123
[ASB123] Come into Ramapo’s International Center for a pop-up Passport Office. Submit your materials, take your photo and in a few weeks later — YOUR PASSPORT ARRIVES! For more details visit https://www.ramapo.edu/international/passport-days/. For questions, please contact international@ramapo.edu, or stop by ASB-123. Sponsored by the Bergen County Clerk’s Office, in collaboration with the Roukema Center for International Education.

Schomburg Lecture: Grassroots Organizing in Tribal South India
2019-04-03 11:00 - 12:30 | ASB-136
Stan Thekaekara, Visiting Schomburg Scholars, will speak about their transformative work with Adivasi (Aboriginal) Tribes in Rural South India, and the amazing results of their thirty years of dedicated place-based community organizing. They have worked tirelessly to empower the Adivasis in the areas of land tenure, children’s education and health care.
Come marvel at their amazing stories of radical change as they describe three decades of grassroots community organizing toward social justice and self-reliance.
Email vasishth@ramapo.edu for information.

Music Fest
2019-04-03 21:30 - 23:30 | Friends Hall
[Friends Hall]
ISO invites you to our biggest event of this semester “Music Fest” organized along with WRPR, Computer and Technology Club, CPB and Music Club. International Students from Nepal, Japan, and the UK will be showcasing their musical talents. There will be a total of eight musical performances including Nepali, Portuguese and English songs, Beatbox, along with Freestyle and Bulgarian folklore dance. So, come along to engage yourself in our music and cheer your talented friends. We have food from Sonny and Tony’s and Amazon gift card prizes. Also, attendees are encouraged to be in their traditional attires to make the event more vibrant.
Entry is free. We will also be accepting donations (optional) for food and supply drive for Enactus project “Strengthen our Sisters” during the event.
Event Details:
Date: April 3, 2019
Day: Wednesday
Time: 09:30 PM – 11:30 PM
Location: Friends Hall

'India, Global: Views from the margins and the mainstream'
2019-04-04 13:30 - 14:30 | SC-158
[SC-157] Description pending

Learning from African Activists about Ending Gender Violence
2019-04-05 10:00 - 11:00 | York Room
[York Room] Can Americans learn anything from Ghanaian, Brazilian, or South African activists about ending gender violence? You might be surprised. Dr. Traci West, teacher/author/scholar and public leader around issues of gender, racial, and sexual justice, will help us break open our thinking about how solutions to gender violence are framed and who possesses the “right” answers. President Mercer will deliver the opening proclamation for Sexual Assault Awareness Month at this event in the York Room on Friday, April 5 at 10 a.m. Co-sponsored by the Office of Violence Prevention, the Women’s Center and the CCEC. Contact kbooth@ramapo.edu for more information.

From a Global Education @ Ramapo to Supporting Democratic Development in Africa
2019-04-05 11:45 - 13:15 | Alumni Lounges
[Alumni Lounges] The School of Humanities and Global Studies invites you to attend the invited talk to be presented by John G. Tomasweski ’02 Ramapo Alumnus, political science major and Africa Regional Director at the International Republican Institute (IRI). The speaker will share his work experiences in government and diplomacy in Washington D.C. and IRI. His talk titled “From a Global Education at Ramapo to Supporting Democratic Development on the African Continent ” will be delivered from 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. on Friday, April 5 in the Alumni Lounges. Faculty and students across campus are invited to attend and learn about the many possibilities of a political science career. Email dschons@ramapo.edu for information.
