Sharing Cultures
Dear Editor: There are always a lot of things to do in Sitka on any given evening. On Feb. 1 at the Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi, a group of seven students from around the world gathered to share their cultures with an audience of about 80. China, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, India and Thailand were represented. The meeting was hosted by two AmeriCorps service members.
All these people are young and after listening and watching them it gives me hope for our fractured communities, states and countries. If these nine different young people from such wide backgrounds can sit and talk about their differences and commonalities, there is for sure hope for all of our varied communities.
The three entities that helped bring this gathering together are Mt. Edgecumbe High School, American Field Service and Rotary, all organizations dedicated to working together and communicating. Added to this are the host families who have opened up their homes and hearts to this varied group – actions speaking louder than words. I remain hopeful.
If you missed this year – we will be back with the next group of students from around the world. If you missed out on the desserts representing many different cultures – you missed out!
Jeff Budd, Sitka
