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Global Education Week
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| What would you tell children (ages 9-11) about your country? What is special about your culture? What are the three main things you want children to remember and be able to share with their friends and parents? |   | | Five WBFN spouses volunteered as Cultural Consultants to go to Washington DC public schools to present their countries as part of the Meridian International Center's Global Education Week. It promotes an understanding and appreciation of the diverse and wonderful cultures of the world that contribute to the richness of our common heritage. It does this for children who might not otherwise get an opportunity for such interaction. This program also provides a unique way for WBFN members to give back to our community and to demonstrate the World Bank's commitment to diversity. It proved to be an enjoyable experience for both students and Cultural Consultants. Thanks to Zeenut Ziad (Pakistan), Aditi Lall (India), Dorothee Rannenberg (Germany), Peter Sullivan (Australia), and Francoise Faye-Diawara (Senegal) for making Global Education Week a remarkable event! |  | Presentation on Pakistan, by Zeenut Ziad
 When I was asked to introduce my country, Pakistan, to sixth graders at the Harriet Tubman School, I had no idea what to expect. I was grateful that Oxana Holtmann and Ruth Fitts from Meridian International Center accompanied me. As we walked into the classroom, it was immediately apparent that this was a group of very bright, well-behaved, and well-prepared youngsters. The credit goes to both the excellent teachers and the students themselves. The children had already accessed information on Pakistan and, very impressively, rattled off a host of statistics. I must confess I learnt some of the latest figures from them! With the lively participation of the children, we proceeded to discuss the rich diversity of the people of Pakistan and the colorful customs, clothes, and festivals. One girl modeled some beautiful silver jewelry and gracefully greeted everyone in Urdu, while one of the young men donned a shalwar qameez (the national dress)—quite brave of him as it was about three sizes too large! Later we danced to the catchy beat of the traditional Sufi qawwali music. Of course, it was not possible to sufficiently demonstrate the lavish hospitality for which Pakistanis are famous but we compensated with some homemade snacks! At question-time, I saw another example of the remarkable general knowledge of these youngsters, as some of their queries related to very esoteric topics. It should be no surprise that this visit was a very inspiring experience for me (not to mention how much fun I had!) I hope the Meridian International Center will consider replicating this program in public schools all over the D.C. Metropolitan area. | | Presentation on Germany, by Dorothee Rannenberg
 Being surrounded by excited American children singing a German folk song with me and swaying from side to side the arms linked is a picture I will never forget. What a beautiful idea to bring American children and foreigners together to share their cultures! The preparation itself was stimulating not only for me but also for my whole family and my friends as we discussed: What is a typical German? What is a European? Who has a photo of the Alps? And then the presentation itself: The children spoke German with enthusiasm, were surprised that there is no general speed limit on German highways, listened to Beethoven raptly and wanted to go to Hamburg—because of the Hamburgers! I hadn't expected them to be so interested and attentive for nearly one and a half hours. Thanks to the children and thanks to Ruth Fitts, Oxana Holtmann and Lisa Kaufman for their very helpful advice and support. I'm looking forward to my next presentation on Germany. | | Presentation on India, by Aditi Lall
 My experience with students (grades 3-5) of Ferbee-Hope Elmentary School proved to be truly memorable. I was there to introduce India and was impressed by their enthusiastic response and innumerable questions about children in India - their games, schools and festivals! We began with the children trying to locate India on the globe, and quickly moved on to learn the traditional way of greeting each other in Hindi. There was more than one eager volunteer to come to the front of the class and say Namaste with hands folded and a gentle nod of the head. Presenting a snapshot of a culture as old and rich in diversity as India's proved to be challenging indeed. The children learnt about the national flag with lively conjecture on what its three colors symbolize. More animated discussion followed when they saw pictures of bustling Indian cities and important landmarks such as the Taj Mahal. We talked of the elephant and the Royal Bengal tiger and their roles in Indian history and folklore. With their curiosity piqued the children helped shape the course of our brief session with intelligent observations, drawing parallels with their own cultural background and sharing their experiences of Indian cuisine. With boundless excitement the children concluded the session by dressing up in traditional Indian clothes - the girls beautiful in colorful saris and the boys handsome in kurtas with turbans and Nehru jackets. Proudly they went to show off their dresses to the school principal, and, though we had exceeded the allotted one hour, it was hard to contain the flow of questions. The experience was unique in many ways-from looks of disbelief at pictures of crowded streets of New Delhi to pleas of trying out their hand at cricket-there was a lot of learning, and also a lot of fun! | | AND MORE...
 | | | Meridian International Center in cooperation with WBFN initiated and successfully put into life “Global Education Week”, February 28 - March 11. The students expressed great enthusiasm to learn more about different counties; the questions were never-ending. And it was deeply satisfying for Cultural Consultants, who share above their impressions and ideas on Global Education Week. They would also like to invite WBFN members to volunteer at Meridian International Center once a week to lead in creating a “Culture Box” about their countries which Cultural Consultants and teachers can use in DC Public Schools. For further information, please, email WBFN member, Oxana Holtmann or contact the WBFN Office at 202-473-8751. |
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