ORONO – A few Turkish students joined hands, forming a line that rhythmically circled a small, open space between tables. They performed a simple but pleasing dance that grew larger as onlookers were drawn in.

It was a little taste of Turkey that international students Sibel Atasoy and Sefik Tunc hope will leave lasting impressions at the University of Maine and off-campus.

The two were among 200 UM foreign students participating in the annual Culturefest, which drew hundreds of spectators to the field house Saturday.

Students representing 22 nations showcased their countries in photographs, words, videos, art, costumes and jewelry. For those wanting more of a flavor, food from 18 nations was also available. There were Thai egg rolls and Ukrainian vareniky, a noodle stuffed with mashed potatoes or fruit.

With Turkey placed between Peru and Algeria in the display area, it sometimes made little geographic sense inside the field house. But a geographic lesson is not what Culturefest is all about.

For Ognjen Nokolic, a native of Bosnia, Culturefest is an opportunity to talk about his own country. There is little time between classes to talk to fellow students about his heritage and dispel misconceptions they might have.

His table showed some ominous pictures, including two bullet-ridden cars in front of a demolished home and an athletic field that saw more sniper fire than soccer during the recent war. But his country is not all about war he said. They have music, concerts, nightclubs, athletics and fashions.

And they aren’t as backward as some people imagine, especially the ones who ask Nokolic, an electrical engineering graduate student, whether Bosnians have cars. “There’s definitely more to the country,” he said.

Fellow Bosnian student Alma Delic-Ibukic has seen the changes herself. Living in the United States for the past six years, Delic-Ibukic returns home every summer.

A sign of economic improvement is an international ship regatta that is helping to rebuild tourism in the region, she said.

“Overall, they’re trying to get back to their old ways,” she said.