The history of the organization of this wonderful and large-scale event sends us to the initial period of the university itself in Sharjah. With the advent of a large number of foreign students at the university and the expansion of their international composition, students were offered the opportunity to create cultural clubs in their countries. A little later, students decided to create not only clubs that support the culture of their countries, but also clubs for interests and hobbies. So, starting in 2000, the “Club Fair”, the initiative of which was supported by the administration of the educational institution, began to carry the goal of increasing the number of members of each club by registering newcomers. Over time, the Club Fair acquired the status of one of the leading student events at Sharjah American University.
Club Fair is held twice a year, or every semester. What for? The fact is that new applicants enter Sharjah University also twice a year - for the fall or spring semester, respectively. And if initially the "Club Fair" was conceived as an annual event, then subsequently, with the filing of the presidents of the student clubs of the university, a joint decision was made with the administration of the university to hold this event every semester.
By tradition, all clubs at the fair are allocated a specific place, which should be designed accordingly. The design of club stands is encouraged with the help of the cultural symbols of their country, using recognizable national colors of each of the countries represented at the fair.
This year, the first student’s fair was decided not to be held indoors, but outdoors. This allowed to increase the area of stands for each club. Now it was no longer just a corner, but a whole tent for each country represented. The fair itself took the scale and scope of a more serious holiday or even festival, and the number of its visitors increased markedly. And the number of student clubs increased by 10, compared with the fall semester fair in 2009 (then there were 40 participating clubs).
As mentioned earlier, the Russian Cultural Club (RKK) was one of the active participants in the Club Fair 2010. The Russian Cultural Club, organized recently, is an initiative of a group of enthusiasts and immigrants from the CIS countries. As part of the Student Club Fair, the RKK has embarked on a demonstration of the cultural characteristics of different regions of Russia and coverage of upcoming major international sports events that will soon take place in the Russian Federation.
The tent of the Russian club was decorated with the flags of the Russian Federation, Moscow, the Republic of Tatarstan and the Republic of Adygea. These regions, the capital of the Russian Federation, as well as the city of St. Petersburg were chosen for a reason, since Russian citizens studying at the American University of Sharjah come from these regions and cities. An exhibition of photographs in which Moscow Chistye Prudy, Kazan Cathedral of St. Petersburg, Freedom Square and Kazan State University of the Republic of Tatarstan appeared in all their glory allowed the multinational university community to demonstrate the vast geography and diversity of Russian cultures. And the main Russian natural attractions, such as the Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano, Lake Baikal, the Volga River, the Ural Mountains and the huge summer fields and meadows, could not leave any of the spectators indifferent. During the design of the national stand, it was not without traditional attributes that have already become original distinctive marks of our country - dolls-nesting dolls, a samovar and even a skullcap. Real Russian gingerbread cookies and wonderful sweets were to the taste of every visitor of the "Club Fair 2010".
Arriving at the official opening of the Club Fair 2010, which took place on February 1, 2010 at 11:00 Moscow time, representatives of the administration of the American University of Sharjah, headed by its rector Peter Hiss, were extremely interested in two bright advertising posters for the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi as well as the XXVII World Summer Universiade 2013 in Kazan. And while many have heard about the Sochi Winter Olympics-2014, then for the first time they heard about the large-scale and vibrant sport festival in the capital of Tatarstan, the city of Kazan, in the UAE.
So, the "Club Fair" of the first semester of 2010, which lasted two days, was a success. University students are actively registered in all possible clubs. The Russian Cultural Club, already having more than 300 registered members in its list, predicts its increase by at least 100 new faces. The club expresses gratitude to all its sponsors, because thanks to their support, the Russian Cultural Club was able to adequately represent its homeland. The leadership of the RKK expressed its special gratitude to the Moskovsky deli (UAE), the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan, as well as its general information sponsor, the Russian Emirates magazine (UAE).
See you at the next Club Fair at Sharjah American University!
