Last Thursday, the Global Student Alliance kicked off its first Culture Café event of the spring semester with a presentation on Turin, the setting for the 2006 Olympic Games.

The Culture Café brings University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee students of all nationalities together and gives them the opportunity to learn about other countries.

Mathematics professor Albert Milani, born and raised in Turin, gave an endearing and intimate portrait of his native country. Accompanied by a sizable flat screen television, he showed a multitude of vivid pictures to illustrate his points. The images ranged from a map of the region of Piemonte (which Turin is the capital of), the Royal Palace, various ancient structures, the Mole Antonelliana (which is a tall building that is now a museum of cinema), Egyptian artwork, medieval cathedrals and many other beautiful places.

Milani included many little-known facts in his presentation, such as the meaning of the name Turin (“Little Bull” in Italian) and that it is the birthplace of the Italian film movement. He also highlighted the important locations where the Olympics are taking place, including the great mountains of the Northwest.

An impressive part of the Culture Café is how attentive and absorbed the diverse audience was. Throughout the hour, genuine “oohs” and “ahhs” could be heard along with laughter at the appropriate moments.

After the presentation, attendees left smiling and saying “thank you.” The Culture Café is a pleasant and informative experience that gives students more of an international perspective through games, lectures and ethnic food.

In the coming weeks there will be presentations on Paraguay, Croatia and Southern China.

The alliance, which is funded partly by the Student Association and the Center for International Education, aims to broaden international awareness with its programs. For more information about the GSA and how to get involved, visit www.uwm.edu/Dept/CIE/AP/ap-gsa.shtml.

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