Hana Sato, Grade 12
UWC Costa Rica
In UWC Costa Rica, we celebrate cultural diversity with various thematic weeks, many of them are organized by each regional family. One of the moments in which I perceived the most cultural appreciation was during the Asian Week, organized by the Asian family. Since my family is from Japan, I was able to be one of the organizers. Asia is such a diverse continent, it is full of different religions, languages, traditions, and physical complexions.
The beginning of my Asian Week started two days before Monday. I was part of the mural drawing committee; we needed to have this mural done before Monday, the day that Asian Week officially begins. It was my first time drawing a chalk mural, and since the chalkboard was so huge it took two entire days to finish it. However, at the end, all the time and effort put on it totally worth it. I loved to see the dedication that the Asian students put on the mural; honestly, I think it was the best mural that has been drawn during the entire academic year. We drew a big map of the continent and animals that represented every subregion. I was especially amazed with a Taiwanese second year that was also part of the committee, who even having a physics short test the next Monday helped us until very late night. I felt so grateful with him and for all his support. In one corner of the chalkboard, all Asian students needed to write their country names with their languages; so many students took a good amount of time thinking on the colors to use, the handwriting style, or whether to draw their flags. Looking at how the students discuss those features with their co-years was simply fascinating, they made me feel desirous for a Japanese coyear.
For me, one of the most memorable activities of Asian Week was the Chinese New Year Dinner. Since in Japan we do not celebrate Chinese New Year, I was just invited as a guest member to participate; every student that celebrated this holiday was able to bring one friend to celebrate it. It was such an amazing dinner, the Asian students and guests cooked together and brought different food. There were so many students that the line to reach the food was so long, but, amazingly there was enough food for everyone; Asian students are known for cooking a lot.
I know it can be very overwhelming for students to organize these types of events, especially because my roommate and one of my closest friends was Mama Asia, a role to be one of the main organizers of the Asian Family activities. Being a IBDP2 student, it was really tough for her to manage her time and so many activities. I can not stop admiring her for all the dedication she put into the cultural activities, it was such a good decision from my third years to decide her as Mama Asia.
Asian Week happens biannually in UWC Costa Rica. Therefore, during my IBDP2 year I will not be able to organize an Asian Week. However, we will have a Central America Week, therefore, as a Guatemalan student I will still have the opportunity to share my culture with other students. I truly appreciate these spaces for thematic weeks, I believe that they are the main essence of UWC.
The beginning of my Asian Week started two days before Monday. I was part of the mural drawing committee; we needed to have this mural done before Monday, the day that Asian Week officially begins. It was my first time drawing a chalk mural, and since the chalkboard was so huge it took two entire days to finish it. However, at the end, all the time and effort put on it totally worth it. I loved to see the dedication that the Asian students put on the mural; honestly, I think it was the best mural that has been drawn during the entire academic year. We drew a big map of the continent and animals that represented every subregion. I was especially amazed with a Taiwanese second year that was also part of the committee, who even having a physics short test the next Monday helped us until very late night. I felt so grateful with him and for all his support. In one corner of the chalkboard, all Asian students needed to write their country names with their languages; so many students took a good amount of time thinking on the colors to use, the handwriting style, or whether to draw their flags. Looking at how the students discuss those features with their co-years was simply fascinating, they made me feel desirous for a Japanese coyear.
For me, one of the most memorable activities of Asian Week was the Chinese New Year Dinner. Since in Japan we do not celebrate Chinese New Year, I was just invited as a guest member to participate; every student that celebrated this holiday was able to bring one friend to celebrate it. It was such an amazing dinner, the Asian students and guests cooked together and brought different food. There were so many students that the line to reach the food was so long, but, amazingly there was enough food for everyone; Asian students are known for cooking a lot.
I know it can be very overwhelming for students to organize these types of events, especially because my roommate and one of my closest friends was Mama Asia, a role to be one of the main organizers of the Asian Family activities. Being a IBDP2 student, it was really tough for her to manage her time and so many activities. I can not stop admiring her for all the dedication she put into the cultural activities, it was such a good decision from my third years to decide her as Mama Asia.
Asian Week happens biannually in UWC Costa Rica. Therefore, during my IBDP2 year I will not be able to organize an Asian Week. However, we will have a Central America Week, therefore, as a Guatemalan student I will still have the opportunity to share my culture with other students. I truly appreciate these spaces for thematic weeks, I believe that they are the main essence of UWC.
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