This week, Wednesday, SIS held its annual Language Fair. Dubbed, “Alice & Peter’s Adventures in Language Land,” the fair endeavoured to raise money for a children’s charity, Plan International. Plan is a non-profit aid organisation that strives towards the alleviation of child poverty. It maintains a collaborative partnership with communities in many countries and emphasises the significance of certain specific cornerstones paramount to realising the global welfare of all children; among these fundamental building blocks are education, economic security, health, water and sanitation. Everyone involved in the Language Fair, including the Language Acquisition and EAL Departments, the audience, and the students themselves, made a superb effort to raise awareness and collect donations for this cause.

However, the Language Fair also aspired to immerse both the guests and the students in the cultures of the Spanish, the French, and that of the EAL learners, respectively. Savoury foods, amusing posters, and lively performances painted a portrait of each culture; the students displayed an understanding not only for language itself, but also, for the culture that is entwined within the spoken word.

The Language Fair programme began with an introduction to the purpose of the fair and the activities that would take place during the evening. Visitors were then guided into different classrooms to see the plays and presentations. The Spanish adaptation of the Little Red Riding Hood (Spanish: Caperucita Roja) was especially amusing and quickly had the audience laughing. One Spanish group held an exciting ‘Guess Who’ game, while another group treated the guests to some traditional Mexican meals.

Likewise, the French students held performances about the respective culture and cuisine. One particular group staged a scene in what was a classical French café. Once the EAL students had presented foods from their own cultures, the guests received tasters of various dishes, from Icelandic dried fish to Japanese pastries with bean paste. The surprising flavours had the visitors embark on a culinary excursion around the world.

Once the performances were over, guests were able to visit other classrooms, enjoy a multitude of foods, as well as chat with both the students and the teachers. Another round of dramatical acts followed soon thereafter, providing guests with the opportunity to view experience a different language. Lastly, the Quirky Quibbler would like to send warm congrats to the Language Acquisition Department and its students for coordinating and realising this superb journey through “Language Land!”