Behind the Scenes at CulturalFest
Minhtu, left, with the captain of the CulturalFest 2013 Saudi Arabia booth. Photo Credit: Xinglu Yao
Minhtu Nguyen, a member of the FIUTS Student Board and co-chair of the CulturalFest Booth Committee, shares her CulturalFest experience.
Guest post by Minhtu Nguyen
Minhtu Nguyen is a University of Washington international student from Vietnam who is a member of the FIUTS Student Board. The following post by Minhtu is about her personal experiences as part of the CulturalFest Booth Committee, which works to plan and organize the International Expo.
Student committees 2013 at the CulturalFest Performance Showcase. Photo credit: Paige Liu
CulturalFest is the biggest multicultural student event at the University of Washington. It is a two-day event featuring dance, music, food, costumes, and many interactive activities from more than thirty-five countries around the world. The event welcomes more than fifteen hundred visitors each year, including not just UW students but also about five hundred elementary students and the public visitors. This is a unique chance for everyone to travel around the world in two days!
The event is developed and held by FIUTS staff, student committees, and over 300 student volunteers. In order to run this event in February, we start planning and recruiting at the beginning of October. There are three planning committees working separately but supporting each other: Booth, Performance, and Marketing.
I joined the Booth Committee for CulturalFest 2013 and experienced one of the most wonderful times of my college life. That is why I continue to participate again this year as a co-chair for the Booth Committee to plan and organize the International Expo.
We had lots of fun recruiting booth captains, delivering trainings, contacting and supporting booth captains, organizing booths, preparing supplies, and especially participating as a committee member as well as a visitor in the day of events.
As a visitor to the booths at the Expo, I learned so much about other countries. There were so many fascinating things about places and cultures around the world that we rarely have a chance to learn.
A visitor at the Central Asia booth, CulturalFest 2013
I learned about the history of the Russian Federation and Belarus, the Myanmar “secret” natural cosmetic product called Thanaka (a yellowish paste from ground bark), and many other interesting facts about other countries. I also saw breath-taking pictures from places that were immediately put on my list to travel. The booth captains were very friendly and helpful. They provided me with many tips for low cost travelling as well as navigating in the country.
Trying on other countries’ traditional costumes, tasting tea, coffee, and food, and participating in their interactive activities are the not-to-miss things at CulturalFest. I had a chance to try on an elegant Abaya, to get my very first beautiful Henna, to dance Somali dance, to paint at the Peru booth, and to put on my home country’s traditional dress, the Ao dai.
As a committee member, I was very happy seeing many visitors coming and experiencing an active multicultural atmosphere. I especially felt accomplished when seeing the elementary students eagerly moving from booth to booth to learn about different countries. Many of them had not had a chance to talk to any international person before. The event helped raise a multicultural awareness for these students early in their lives.
After the Booth Expo, we received a package from the kids with many lovely thank-you letters and handmade cards. “It was the most amazing field trip. I learned so much about the people of their places, thank you,” said one student.
Grupo Violetta Parra performing traditional Chilean dance at CulturalFest 2013. Photo credit: Paige Liu
On the second day of CulturalFest, we enjoyed an extremely entertaining show brought to us by many countries and regions including Chile, China, Philippines, Ukraine, Mexico, Japan, Central Asia, and South Asia. Each performance carries its own beauty and cultural richness of the country or region. How awesome it is to be able to enjoy the variety and diversity of shows from different places around the world in just one night!
All CulturalFest 2013 performers take a bow. Photo credit: Paige Liu
CulturalFest is less than two weeks away. The atmosphere is heating up and we are working hard to prepare for it. I want to thank all the FIUTS staffs, committee members, booth captains, performers, and volunteers for making this amazing event happen!
To everyone, CulturalFest is truly an interesting and perspective- changing experience. Come join us on Feb 7 and 8 to travel around the world in two days! This is a unique opportunity that you should never miss.
Take part in the CulturalFest experience! The International Expo, featuring 35 regional and country booths, is free and open to the public in the Husky Union Building (HUB) Ballroom from 11:00-3:30 PM on Friday, February 7.
The Performance Showcase includes 12 diverse music and dance performances from immensely talented groups from all over the world. Tickets are just $10 in advance for students at the FIUTS office in HUB 206, and $15 for community members. Get your tickets online or at the door the day of the event. The Performance Showcase takes place at 7:30 PM on Saturday, February 8 in Meany Hall.
In addition to these opportunities to enjoy global culture and connections, FIUTS will also host a Silent Auction from 5:00-7:00 PM in Meany Hall before the performances to raise funds for our education outreach and student leadership programs. Guests at the auction will also enjoy a reception with delicious food and wine. Tickets can be purchased here.