Pitt student from
'Tis the season for the Nationality Rooms at the University of Pittsburgh to be decorated for their winter holiday traditions, but Sara Pecora of Mars gets dressed up every time she volunteers there.
The junior communications major from Mars serves as a Ukrainian Room tour guide and so dresses the part in traditional garb.
“I chose it because I like the costume and I was interested in Russian and Ukrainian culture,” she said.
In addition to a Ukrainian Room, Pitt's Cathedral of Learning houses Nationality Rooms for Austria, Japan, Armenia, African heritage, India, Israel, Wales, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Ireland, Lithuania, Romania, Sweden, China, Greece, Scotland, Yugoslavia, England, France, Norway and Russia.
These 25 rooms also are used as college classrooms.
There are two other rooms that depict life in Early America and Syria-Lebanon, but those rooms can be viewed only, not entered, because of the old age of the artifacts displayed, Pecora noted.
The holidays are a good time for a visit to the Nationality Rooms since the university students will be away on break, but visitors really couldn't see all the rooms on one tour, Pecora said.
Visitors can probably see about 10 rooms on one tour, she said.
“There is too much information about each room to go through all of them on one tour. I once was on a tour where we gave the briefest of descriptions of all 27 rooms, and it still took two and a half hours,” she said.
Pecora has been involved with the Nationality Rooms since 2008 as a tour guide and as an officer serving as secretary since 2009.
Michael Walter, the trainer, adviser and public tour coordinator for the Nationality Rooms, said Pecora volunteers quite a bit of time.
“As someone who loves foreign cultures, I feel that these rooms are a beautiful example of how people can come together and show pride in their heritage. I also think that it exemplifies Pittsburgh's rich diverse culture very well,” Pecora said.
In fact, after she finishes her finals this week, Pecora will be at the Nationality Rooms on Saturday.
The Nationality Rooms are decorated in the styles of their holiday traditions through Jan. 14.
On weekends through Jan. 9 (except Dec. 27 and 28), narrated tape tours are available, without prior reservation, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sundays. The last tape tour is dispatched at 2:30 p.m.From Dec. 27 to 31, only first come, first served guided tours are available beginning at 10 a.m. each day. Tickets will be sold at the Information Counter; no reservations are accepted. The last tour is dispatched at 2:30 p.m. each day.The university will be closed Dec. 24, 25 and 26 and Jan. 1.The decorations are removed Jan. 15 and 16. Starting Jan. 22, weekend tape tours are available for the rooms in their normal appearance. Reservations for guided tours are accepted for groups of 10 or more made by prior arrangement for dates after Jan. 2.Tour fees are $3 for adults and $1 for youths ages 8 to 18.Pitt's Cathedral of Learning is at 4200 Fifth Ave.Call 412-624-6000 for more information.
