There seems to be a tradition that almost all American international schools follow - at least the two that my son has been at, do! Something that celebrates the multicultural ethnicity that is the hallmark of any international school. And Dubai American Academy (DAA) is no exception! Except that the one at DAA seemed much larger in scale.
The International Food Festival or IFF is one the biggest events that the parents association of the school hosts. Hosting stalls representing countries across the world, the food at each of these stalls is unique, typical to the country, put together painstakingly by the parents involved.
This year was no exception and for a change I was behind the scenes, part of the organising committee and its been brought home with great wonder at the amount of organisation, planning and effort that goes into organising such an event.
IFF is open to students' families and their friends and a ticket needs to be purchased to enter the venue. Once you are inside, you can taste food from any of the stalls inside without any additional charge - be it the nachos with beef and cheese from Mexico, koshary from Egypt, tea time treats from Great Britain, samosas and tikkas from India, biryani from Pakistan, meze and falafels from Lebanon,the list is endless with 38 countries finding representation this year.
Not surprisingly, the event kicked off with a flag parade with students from each country carrying their country's flag. It never ceases to amaze me, the sense of pride that one feels as one watches one's national colours or hears one's national anthem. No matter how long you have been away from home, there is always a bit of home that you carry with yourself!
There were over 3000 people in the school grounds with kids running all over the place, drink stalls, games for the children and as icing on the cake - an entertainment program by each country! Mostly it was the kids from the school who put up acts that were very typical of their country or that represented some part / culture of where they came from, be it the Korean dance, the Indian fashion show, the rustic Pakistani dholkis, the Spanish flamenco or the absolutely stunning tannoura from Egypt!
Long queues next to the henna lady as she tattooed patterns on hands and arms- young and old!
The atmosphere is one of a big carnival or fair and a lovely scene of bonhomie. Of course, looking at how seamlessly it comes together, its difficult to imagine how much effort goes into organising this - both by the organisers as well as the parents who volunteer time and effort! And its obviously a day out for families with friends - saw countless groups where people had come in a big group with friends to make an evening out of it!
So if you have friends whose kids are at DAA, make sure you are there next year!
The International Food Festival or IFF is one the biggest events that the parents association of the school hosts. Hosting stalls representing countries across the world, the food at each of these stalls is unique, typical to the country, put together painstakingly by the parents involved.
This year was no exception and for a change I was behind the scenes, part of the organising committee and its been brought home with great wonder at the amount of organisation, planning and effort that goes into organising such an event.
IFF is open to students' families and their friends and a ticket needs to be purchased to enter the venue. Once you are inside, you can taste food from any of the stalls inside without any additional charge - be it the nachos with beef and cheese from Mexico, koshary from Egypt, tea time treats from Great Britain, samosas and tikkas from India, biryani from Pakistan, meze and falafels from Lebanon,the list is endless with 38 countries finding representation this year.
Not surprisingly, the event kicked off with a flag parade with students from each country carrying their country's flag. It never ceases to amaze me, the sense of pride that one feels as one watches one's national colours or hears one's national anthem. No matter how long you have been away from home, there is always a bit of home that you carry with yourself!
There were over 3000 people in the school grounds with kids running all over the place, drink stalls, games for the children and as icing on the cake - an entertainment program by each country! Mostly it was the kids from the school who put up acts that were very typical of their country or that represented some part / culture of where they came from, be it the Korean dance, the Indian fashion show, the rustic Pakistani dholkis, the Spanish flamenco or the absolutely stunning tannoura from Egypt!
Long queues next to the henna lady as she tattooed patterns on hands and arms- young and old!
The atmosphere is one of a big carnival or fair and a lovely scene of bonhomie. Of course, looking at how seamlessly it comes together, its difficult to imagine how much effort goes into organising this - both by the organisers as well as the parents who volunteer time and effort! And its obviously a day out for families with friends - saw countless groups where people had come in a big group with friends to make an evening out of it!
So if you have friends whose kids are at DAA, make sure you are there next year!
