Global Fest educates, entertains participants of cultural events

By Nicole Arias
Staff Writer

A small cluster of adults and children stood entranced as an egg with an intricate design of thick, black wax was dipped into a jar of red dye.

The audience remained silent as the tinted egg bobbed on the surface.

While waiting for the shell to absorb the dye, Gail Woolever, the volunteer demonstrating Ukrainian egg painting, answered eager questions about technique and history. Woolever was showing her expertise at Global Fest, an event sponsored by West Lafayette that celebrated the different cultures Friday and Saturday around the area at the Morton Community Center.

After 10 hours of demonstrating, the first-time participant of Global Fest said, "I’m amazed to see how many people were willing to stay and listen to me talk for 15 minutes."

Woolever said Global Fest can offer a wealth of knowledge if people open up to it.

Kenji Totsuka, a junior in the School of Engineering, was one of these people. "You get to see so many things by just walking a small distance," he said.

Totsuka said he most enjoyed playing a game in which a sticker was the prize for finding the country or capital that was given. Tim Johnson, a friend who played the game with Totsuka, explained why the two liked the game.

"It raised your awareness and tested your knowledge," said Johnson, a senior in the School of Education.

Another type of interaction activity that was popular during the event was the zodiac bookmarks that were offered in the Chinese room. The volunteers would translate participants' names from English to Chinese.

After four hours of writing Chinese characters on bookmarks, Fangyi Zhu, a Global Fest volunteer and a second year graduate student, said although she was tired, she was happy to show people a part of Chinese tradition.

"I am introducing things from my home country," Zhu said.

Although the zodiac bookmarks have always been offered, it was only until two years ago that volunteers started personalizing them.

"It’s a very unique thing that we tried to put in a style that people could use," said Jin Wu, the coordinator of Chinese room and a graduate student in the School of Science.

In addition to the bookmarks, the Chinese room also featured games that have become most popular with children, Zhu said.

In addition to the cultural displays, Global Fest also featured international crafts, food and free entertainment.

"It is a fun, relaxed environment with interesting things to see, eat and listen to," said Dor Ben-Amotz, a West Lafayette resident.

His wife, Stephanie Ben-Amotz, agreed. "I wish it was like this every day," she said, "I wish there were more visibility and celebration of different cultures in this town."

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