WINTERVILLE, N.C. (WITN) – An Eastern Carolina community college gave its students the chance to learn more about several countries outside of the United States without having to travel far.

Pitt Community College spent the day highlighting different cultures from around the world and turnout for the event was huge.

From the vibrant culture of Puerto Rico to the diverse landscapes of Morocco, International Day at Pitt Community College spotlighted around 18 countries where some of its student body came from.

Veronica Reyes has been going to PCC since last year after moving from Ecuador. She wanted to share staple food items from her country at Thursday’s event.

“In my country it is typical to have rice and beans with beef and in all foods in my country we use plantain and cheese and pork,” Reyes said.

Each country showed off traditional dress along with popular foods, music, and artwork.

PCC English Language Coordinator Sharon Baker was there to see how great this was for students and the public.

“Today they had the opportunity to sample food and talk to people from 18 different countries without leaving eastern NC. For the students, who are learning English, this was a way for them to proudly showcase their countries and practice speaking,” Baker said.

Reyes and others had the chance to talk about what they foun unique about their country.

“The food is very good and in my country, we have a lot of beautiful places such as the Galapagos islands it’s a very beautiful place,” Reyes said.

International Day is an annual event and when there are students from a new country attending PCC, that country is added to the lineup.

“These are adult students who come from all different countries for different reasons but what they have in common is learning the English language and they become like a family in our program,” Baker said.