Ever wish you could master the skill of Irish folk dancing? Or learn more about Japanese tea culture? At the Bechtel International Center this month, you can. Throughout May and into early June, Bechtel will hold special events as part of International Month 2006 — all events showcase different world cultures. Many activities already took place last week, such as the Indonesian film festival, the nightclub salsa class and the Caribbean cultural extravaganza. But there are still many left to check out, and admission is free.

Most of the events will be held at the Bechtel Center at the corner of Mayfield Avenue and Lomita Drive. Through different social and cultural programs such as International Month, the Bechtel Center attempts to help international students spend more time with one another, as well as with other American students. By organizing events and activities that many people can enjoy and learn from, Bechtel hopes to create a more cohesive student body. International Month is a perfect example of the center’s mission.

“Due to the nature of publicity, we have managed to attract mostly members of the Stanford community to attend our events, although we do not have any strict admission criteria,” says Junyang Yoon, a student coordinator at the Bechtel International Center and a graduate student in management science and engineering.

Yoon adds that many people attended previous weeks’ International Month activities.

“Events like the potluck and music night, Caribbean cultural night and Indonesian film festival have been very popular,” Yoon says. “Turnout has been more than a hundred people for each event last week. Students — both American and international — and faculty members have attended our past events.”

The goal of the month-long event is to provide opportunities for the members of the Stanford community to experience different cultures’ dance and food. Organizers of the event hope to promote mutual understanding of the diverse cultures and nationalities in Stanford community. More information can be found at http://www.stanford.edu/dept/icenter/festival/.