Around The World in 5 Days
– 2nd International Cultural Campaign (International Week) 2019

Jointly by:
Ng Choon Hau (Sr1A)
Ashley Chin Li Yi (Sr1ScD) Yee Wen Shuen (Sr1C)

Globalisation is on the rise and countries’ cultures being shared with one another isn’t any shocking news nowadays. In an effort to introduce students to the many vibrant cultures from various countries, the Japanese Language Society, Korean Language Club and French Club had come together to hold our school’s second International Cultural Campaign, with the first one being held in 2017. Students got to experience lots of fun getting a taste of different customs and cultures from Japan, Korea and France from 22 to 26 July 2019. Let’s take a look at what was held during the recesses of this gloriously eventful week!

Whole Week: Cultural Exhibition

What better way to show students a glimpse into the many cultures around the world than an exhibition? All three language clubs co-operated to put together an exhibition of the vibrant Japanese, Korean and French cultures at the Block A Lobby. Find out about traditional Japanese festivals and activities, quirks about Korean culture and the staggering differences between North and South Korea, and the many French food and customs. This exhibition surely showed off some high effort pieces, like a 2D paper replica of a Japanese temple and a spin-able wheel for the French exhibit. Students definitely enjoyed looking through the many exhibits that piqued their interest, and hopefully learnt something new out of it, too.

Days 1 & 2: International Food Bazaar

Food is a great medium to showcase a country’s culture. That’s why the three language clubs held a food bazaar during the two recesses of the 22^nd and 23^rd of July, though technically it ended by the second recess of the 23^rd.

The Japanese Language Society sold salads with Kewpie dressings, tamago (Japanese omelette) and various reasonably priced sushi (Japanese dish of rice served with fish). One could find kimchi (Korean fermented vegetables), mandu (Korean fried dumplings) and chocolate chip cookies over at the Korean Language Club stalls. Meanwhile, sweet but somewhat pricey macarons (French meringue based confection), tarts and cakes could be seen at the French Club booth.

The reception was tremendously ground-breaking, since hordes of people lined up just to get a taste of some delicious food. The Korean stall’s reception was so positive that they ran out of food to sell during the second recess of the 23^rd. The food was delicious, too! The hot and piping mandus, sweet and crumbly cakes and fresh sushi proved to be mouth-wateringly irresistible.

Day 3: Korean Song Performances

Talking about Korea, who would forget about KWave? That’s right, on the 24th of July, the students in our school had a singing Korean hit songs performances during the both recess at the basketball court and Block A lobby. Once the recess bell rang, students would come running over to get the front spots to enjoy the performances. The response given from the audiences for the both recess were really overwhelming.

During the first recess, the first to perform is a band called ‘DoReMi Dream Band’. It is a band formed with students from the school that are enthusiastic towards music and are talented, they are popular in our school and have always been invited to perform in various school events. They started the performances with a duet then a solo followed by a group performance. They sang songs like ‘Beautiful Goodbye’ by the famous Korean boy group member, Exo’s Chen , ‘Downpour’ by Korean girl group, IOI, ‘You’re my everything’ by Korea’s Ballad Queen, Gummy and many other more. The songs they have sung were mostly ballads. The performance was really unforgettable as the performers vocals were really overpowering. They brought out the emotions in the songs and touched the audience’s heart with their melodic voice.

While during the second recess, a group of students of different ages formed a group to perform. This shows us that music can bring everybody together. They performed various pop songs like ‘Loser’ by Big Bang, ‘Dinosaur’ by Akmu, ‘Untitled’ by GD and many other more. The performance for the second recess also got overwhelming responses from the audiences as they clap along to the music melody and sang along.

The performances on the both recess were truly wonderful and amazing since the students were willingly to use their precious recess time to watch the performance. The performers were also satisfied with the outcome and responses from the audiences and think that their efforts had paid off.

Day 4: Korean and Japanese Outfit Trying

What’s an intercultural exchange without a fashion show? This is the day students stepped into the shoes of the foreign—literally. Under the lead of practised leaders, kimonos alike are fitted onto the student body, allowing them experiences of the unknown, and the traditional taste of the past, despite remaining in one place and time altogether.

Pictures were taken and laughter was rang, with the teenagers accepting the past and the present as one, in the form of clothing and fabrics. Outstanding colors were portrayed in the lobby, the floor veiled with man-made silk and plastic decors. “Okay, let’s be honest, I’ve never tried these on, and I honestly didn’t expect to trip,” a student chirped as she collected herself from the ground after a fall, cinching the hem of her golden kimono as students assisted her. “The school needs more events like these.”

Day 5: Bon Odori (Japanese Dance)

26^th of July marked the end of International Week, but it certainly wasn’t going to go out without a grand finale. Lots of students gathered round at the A Block Lobby during 2^nd recess in preparation of this event. Everyone was handed a fan then led out to the cleared ball courts to begin the Bon Odori. Bon Odori, literally Bon Dance, is a traditional dance to honour the spirits of the dead performed during the Obon Festival.

Students gathered in two circles; a large circle encircling the entire basketball court and a smaller circle in the middle of the large one. After the emcees announced the start of the dance, students walked counter-clockwise and squatted in regular intervals. The oriental music accompanying the dance perfectly set the mood for onlookers on the side lines watching the dance take place. Certainly an unforgettable experience for all that took part in this dance.

In short, International Week was a great success. Students got to discover amazing new things about various cultures and engage in many fun cultural activities, more so in the workshops conducted after school throughout the week. “It was great to be able to know more about Japanese culture,” responded one student on her thoughts on International Week after participating in Bon Odori. The organisers were very impressed with the turnout, hoping to be able to hold this event again next year, or possibly organise a Cultural Season – where all eight Kuala Lumpur-Selangor Independent Chinese High Schools’ Japanese Language Societies cooperate to hold a massive event.