Laughing at cultural stereotypes can be extremely funny. Especially after a couple of beers. Ashwin Krishnan, Vox writer and Mathematical physics student from India, attended the ISON pub quiz at the Sports Centre last night.

This term at Radboud University has seen people coming in from a vast, diverse range of countries, all the way from neighbouring Germany to South Africa and even the Caribbean. As important as it is to try and find things that connect all of these students (which usually happens automatically after a couple of beers), it is equally vital that we acknowledge and celebrate the cultural differences that make each country unique in its own right. International Student Organisations Nijmegen (ISON), with their pub quiz held at the Sports Centre on the night of the 11^th of October, did just that with an entire event flying under the banner of national stereotypes.

Sombrero hats
The quiz witnessed close to 100 people participating with 10 teams. Most teams had people with different nationalities, which made answering questions based on stereotypes much funnier, as people’s true perceptions of other countries came to be known.

Apart from one round on General Knowledge, and one on Geography, the other three rounds were based on national stereotypes. They involved the quizzers donning the ten gallon, fez and sombrero hats of different nationalities and responding to hypothetical situations.

Disrespectful
Despite the funny phrasing of the questions and the generally rowdy responses that the participants were giving, the entire experience was educational. For example, people now know that in India, it is rude to ever prop your feet up on a table as showing the soles of your feet is considered disrespectful. In many Asian societies, it is unacceptable to kiss your girlfriend or fiancé in public. These facts made many people laugh and chortle into their beers, but could one day stop the same people from potentially getting lynched in a foreign country.

Thank you, ISON.

The event was part of ISON’s usual itinerary for the year. Next up on their agenda is the Crazy 88 party, tentatively scheduled for the first week of November, which promises to be a barrel of laughs. ISON’s events can be found on their Facebook page. The pub quiz was part of Radboud Beyond Borders, a week filled with information sessions on temporary stays abroad for students, PhD candidates and staff – both Dutch and international. The full programme can be found here.