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Bull fighting, sandcastle building, ethnic dancing and miniature golfing were just a part of the ninth annual Sias International Culture Week celebration Oct. 22-27.The week-long festival was started at Sias as a way for Chinese students to experience the vastness of the world around them and get a better understanding of other cultures.
    “To communicate with people who have different values and beliefs in an effective way is one of the most significant skills in the world today. Sias International Culture Week is designed to equip our students with these kinds of skills in life,” said Sias president Li Haijun in a written statement.
    There are six days of events for the students. The week begins with China Day, followed by Latin America/Africa Day, European Day, Asia Day, North America Day and International Day, which features selected acts from the previous five days.
In addition this year, students and faculty worked to sell T-shirts to raise money and awareness for the H20 Africa Foundation, which is working to bring clean drinking water to the Sarah region.
    China Day kicked off the week with artwork from around the nation. Students learned about everything from paper cutting to glass blowing. Students could have their names drawn in colorful characters or carved on a piece of rice.
    On Latin America/Africa Day, students learned about Mexican paper cutting, the Amazon rain forest and the animals and people of Africa.
    During the evening performance, the international teachers performed traditional Latin American and African dances and songs.
European Day featured many picture boards of various countries and movies from the region. Students enjoyed walking around the May Pole and collecting their prizes from one of many European countries.
    There was a fashion show during the evening performance, which was led by the original Olympic host country of Greece. There were several dance numbers by Sias students, and there were songs by instructors.
    Asia Day featured sights and sounds from many of the island countries. The Philippines had a traditional boat and building front for students to take pictures with. Students were able to try KTV (karaoke) in other languages, including Japanese, Korean, Bengali and many more.

    Numerous traditional dances filled the evening performance, including tinikling, a Filipino dance where dancers jump in and out of bamboo poles. The evening ended with a bang with the Bengali dance and fireworks.
    North America Day featured a Hollywood walk, swing dancing, sandcastle building, putt-putt golf and corn hole tossing. There were various sign boards so students could also learn about different states and provinces in the United States and Canada.
    The evening performance was a combination of song and dance as international teachers acted out “An American Love Story.”

Story by Kim Orendor