As people go from stall to stall, looking for the perfect holiday gift, the constant buzz of people talking fills the cafeteria. The room is full with the distinct odor of quesadillas and vegetable dumplings, and it only gets stronger the closer a person gets to the kitchen.
WA hosted the annual Holiday Bazaar on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 9:00-3:00 p.m. The Bazaar features the International Cafe, where all the WA language clubs gather to cook and serve meals that represent their country’s culture.
Each language sets up their stall under decorations that represent their country. This includes flags, streamers that share the colors of the flags, and other decorations, like a cardboard cut out of a character from latin stories at the latin stall. The French club, for example, was selling crepes and croissants, as well as drinks to help people stay hydrated with blue, white, and red decorations surrounding their table.
“We chose these things because they best represent the French club […] and it’s the best way for us to give everyone a little taste of the French club,” senior French club president Sarisha Narula said.
Along with meals, some of the language clubs sell other non-edible items that represent their culture. The Latin club, for example, sold hand painted keychains, laurel crowns, and crewnecks alongside their cookies, vinum (a mix of sprite and cranberry juice meant to replicate Roman wine), chocolate bark, and Ceasar wraps.
“I think that my favorite thing on that list are the keychains,” Latin teacher and club advisor Kori Pasternak said. “This is the first year that we’re offering them, and it started with a little, teeny, tiny idea [where] one of our members, who’s also a member of the robotics team, said we could. And seeing it go from just a little, bitty idea that we had, to seeing the finished product is really impressive.”
The International Cafe is mainly run by students who volunteer their time, money, and materials to keep it running throughout the day.
“I don’t think [people] realize how involved kids are nowadays,” Spanish club advisor, Julie Bostrom said, “[The bazaar] gives the community a chance to see the fact that we offer these five languages, and how people are so passionate about being involved with them, that they’re willing to give up an entire Saturday, making all this food and just being part of their community.”
Displaying the different language clubs, the Bazaar allows people to come together and celebrate their distinct cultures and traditions.
“I think it’s important [to host the language clubs] because it’s just a good way to spread the culture of the country that language belongs to,” sophomore German club officer Katherine Tran said. “And it’s just a really fun time and cool to have more clubs like that.”
