By Debra D'Souza

We should have realized the competition was over when the women began to swoon during the middle of Mr. Mexico's heart-wrenching love song.

But then again, all guesses were for Mr. India, with his quick response on how to promote world peace -- "Think small, make big. It all starts at home. First in villages, districts, states, the country -- and eventually the world." Yet Mr. India didn't even win a runner-up.

And that seemed to be the general theme of Friday evening's events at USU's Ms. and Mr. International comepetition-- anything could happen.

It all seemed to run so smoothly on paper. It was supposed to start at 6:30. Yet the huge, half-lighted ballroom began to really fill only around 6:45. With all the extra bodies the comfortable chatter quickly accelerated into a more aggressive hum and buzz.

Meanwhile supportive patches of the audience practiced waving their signs, contestants fluttered aimlessly behind screens waiting in their traditional wear, technicians tested their purple, green, red and swirly lights, and right up next to the stage in the very first row sat two little girls, hardly taller than their chairs, squeezing hands and singing to each other, "She's beauty and she's grace -- she's Miss United States."

Perhaps a little off the original intent of a Ms. and Mr. International Evening, the rationale of those two were real. They expected some serious magic and indeed, as the night progressed, the event became less about what did or didn't happen and more about what people -- contestants, judges and watchers from the crowd -- wanted to get from the evening.

Kim Babcock, ASUSU public relations VP of the International Students Council, hoped that it wouldn't be a beauty pageant, but rather a multicultural exchange.

"Our objective," he said, "was to share the diversity and variety that our international students represent with our fellow American students and community."

Encouraged to wear clothing that would show off some of the history or uniqueness of their country, contestants came on stage with all variants of costume. Mr. Mexico, Ernesto Lopez, who later was named Mr. International, started off in a soccer jersey, Qianru Li shifted a paper-thin Chinese umbrella from one shoulder to the other as she glided around, Jennifer Gowon exited the evening in a gorgeous blue wound headdress. All were walking illustrations of their backgrounds.

"The questions we had them randomly pick were all about their flags, traditions, holidays, important political figures and celebrities," Babcock continued, "so that, through their answers, the public could come to better understand where our international students are coming from."

Likewise, Ms. Ho Williams, one of the events five judges, said that what she expected was simply a night of diversified entertainment.

"What I received," she continued, "was much, much more."

Take Mr. Argentina, for example.

Individual interviews took place the night before the event, wherein the judges had the opportunity to ask each contestant a few questions. Guillermo Cardoso took this time to share with the judges that for his talent he would be performing the tango. Sure enough, Friday night rolled around and there was Cardoso in his Argentinean cowboy clothes -- after proclaiming that the music had moved his soul -- sweeping up his raven-haired partner and dancing her around the stage. Yet in the same Thursday interview he had confided to his judges that he'd never developed or been trained in the tango before.

"Still, he wanted to share that part of his culture with us," Williams said.

"How many of us would put ourselves into a situation like that?"

Ho Williams took away with her that night a greater appreciation of both the characters and the cultures of all 13 students. "They had each in their own way developed personal plans, goals, insights into humanity and world issues," she said. "Thoughtful perceptions had been developed and I was impressed that they cared."

As for the contestants themselves Ms. India, who gracefully won Ms. International 2003, said that even though she initially just wanted to bring light all the faces of Indian women and of her country, she also learned a lot from the other contestants.

"That's the purpose of these kinds of events, isn't it? It's how we exchange information," Shatabdi Sholly Sharma said. "Most of all I learned that at the core, at the center, each culture is the same ñ it's about truth and honesty."

Whether it was this integral integrity we all culturally share that the audience cheered, ooed and cooed at, or whether it was the simple flashiness of entertainment and lights, there was definitely some magic made. As the lights came back on and chairs started to empty, groups patted each other on the shoulders. Couples linked arm in arm. Laughter was everywhere. In general, everyone went home a bit more enriched than when they came.

Especially those two little girls in the very first row, only literally for them -- they left giggling, dancing and cart wheeling because they'd been asked mid-event to be the raffle girls. Not only did they get to live their little dreams of being on stage, but they left the evening with five dollars in their pockets each, and heads full of saris and tango and judo to boot.

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