Have you ever heard of the abbreviation CID? You might now think it stands maybe for something like a new Green Peace initiative called “Cats In Danger” or a traveller's guide “Cities In Deutschland”. However, these ideas might be creative, but not as creative as the real meaning and the event behind these 3 letters. They stand for nothing less than Country Information Days, which are a unique feature of Jacobs University Bremen, especially of Mercator College. They were founded by our College Masters Mandy and Klaus and they take place here in our Mercator Common Room. These days add some colour and spice (literally) to our everyday life and are always a welcome change. Their main goal is to promote international and cultural understanding among the students of diverse cultural backgrounds at Jacobs.

CIDs are also based on the belief that students from various cultures contribute significantly to our community, enhancing an environment of faith and learning. Each month a country is selected by the college masters, using a special formula, to present their CID. The selection is based on the country's GDP and number of students present from that country.

So far we have had CIDs of Nepal, India, Latin America, Bulgaria, Nigeria Germany, Romania, Bangladesh, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Turkey, Central Asia and Lithuania. The different national communities present music, theatre plays and dances typical for their countries. In some cases students even dress up in their traditional clothes. But they also talk about their country’s history, geography and sights and sometimes they confront the audience with conflicts which took place not too long ago and still might go on.

During the day of the respective CID, our food catering company Aramark serves native food from the cuisine of the respective country. In the evening, after the presentation, some traditional snacks are usually provided which are made by the students organizing the event. And when the official part is over, many students still go to our student bar where usually native rock and pop music of the presenting country is played.

CIDs are the special days of our Jacobs University life when we all celebrate cultural diversity and learn about each other in an effort to become more aware of the world which surrounds us.

(written by Saskia Dewitz)

Below you will find a reverse chronological list of all the CIDs that have taken place at Mercator College. Use the list to see the details of any CID.