On Thursday, February 5th, inside the walls of Bridgeland High School, a memorable event took place—an event that united cultures from all around the world: The International Festival. Created by the Bridgeland Spanish Club, the festival offered multiple activities like performances, traditional food, music, games, etc.
The festival’s logistics were directly managed by members of the Spanish Club. Additionally, the club’s sponsor, Ms. Talaga, played a vital role in the organization of this event. The festival’s planning was not an easy task, but the pride of this dedicated group of students was greater than any difficulty which made them overcome every obstacle on their way.
“What inspired me was that there’s so many people that are curious about other people’s cultures but end up having to ask questions about it instead of just experiencing it themselves,” sophomore Clarissa Chan said. “That’s why we created this festival, and I hope that attendees could take away what they wanted to know or new things that they didn’t know they needed to know.”
Besides students, a significant number of adults participated in the festival. They brought traditional food from their home countries in order to share their unique culture with the world.
“Well, since I come from a different country, it allows me to meet other people from different countries too,” adult Yael Ricci said. “I love languages, culture, different food, and also it’s nice that other people get to know me and my family.”
Additionally, several students performed traditional dances from their countries. They also wore folk clothing from all over the world.
“I think the significance in presenting my culture in front of everyone is so that they can gain a better understanding and appreciation for our culture, especially Indian culture, because in school it’s kind of hard to showcase our unique backgrounds,” senior Saniya Gadre said.
Volunteers also helped in the organization of this festival. They felt the need to support such a unique event by helping out in several ways.
“I was motivated to volunteer for this because I wanted to learn about different cultures and eat different cultures’ food,” sophomore Liliana Lacefield said. “I feel like I contributed to it by setting up so we could have places to put the food and dance.”
Fortunately, the festival received numerous attendees who got to enjoy and explore other cultures. Now, they have a wider knowledge of cultures and traditions from different countries.
“I’m especially excited to try authentic foods from different continents and see the beauty of traditional clothing. Each design tells a unique story about the country’s identity,” senior Sarayh Prieto said. “I believe that these events break barriers in a very natural way by directly experiencing the art of other countries. We need to stop seeing those cultures as something distant or strange and begin to view them with curiosity and respect.”
