This year’s international day was something out of the ordinary, as it was an incredible and bright celebration of the cultures we have here at SIS. What stood out in particular during this event, was the massive selection of traditional foods brought by parents that ranged from traditional Turkish Börek, to Filipino Spring Rolls, to British Millionaire Shortbreads.
The most impressive were the Asian stalls. The event had elements of traditional Asian cuisine from China, Japan and Korea. The Japanese booth included Japanese desserts, which I found super delicious. Along with the Chinese stall and the Korean stall, they offered a rich variety of different foods as well as traditional beverages such as tea and coffee. Not only did they serve food, but also had activities – the Chinese stall twisted balloons and the Korean stall offered infamous children games.
Families and students wandered around talking to new people as well as old friends as they tried all of the diverse delights spread out in the Atrium and the Aula. There were lots of young kids playing and having fun in the midst of the celebration, whilst older students talked and formed new connections.
In the Aula there was an abundance of performances representing different countries, such as a traditional Mexican Mariachi band performing famous Mexican songs. There were also a couple of performances from our students, in particular the school band The Confidentials and even a fun quiz for everyone to participate. It was also so nice to see all of our students proudly representing their countries by wearing their national dresses or their country’s colours, and even face-painting their flags on their faces to show-off their nationality. It made the celebration even brighter and more rich in colours than describable.
It was so enriching and exciting to see how all of the different cultures at our school, despite their differences, can come together to celebrate our unity and diversity, setting our vastly international school apart from others. I hope that next year we can continue organizing this event, making it even more fun and celebrating the rich diversity of cultures and backgrounds.
