The Entire World in My Classroom

On Thursday, October 31st I went to school with a flutter of excitement twirling around my brain. Not only was it Halloween but I was also aware that at 1:20 in my Social Studies class we would be having a marvelous journey into our classmates culture and customs. As I was walking down the hall, my mind wandered to what the day's activities had in store for me. I myself was expecting my grandparents to come in to help me present to the class information on my Polish heritage and treat them with some Kielbasa, which is a traditional Polish sausage. When I arrived at the classroom I was greeted by an arrangement of colors and smells. Each particular smell belonged to a delicious looking meal, that frankly I mostly had never seen before. The majority of my classmates had brought in some of their cultural delicacies for a better understanding of the country the lead back to, as did I. Each who had prepared a dish also had either artifacts from their culture, traditional apparel, or a prepared and written speech full of information.
                                                               I of which had brought in certain artifacts that I received from a neighbor who had actually come from Poland. I think these items helped overall some up what I had to say. I also had brought in a Polish book my great-grandmother had sent me that was completely written in Polish. It was entitled "Elementarz" and I was thinking to myself how cool it would be to show the class. For it means Primer in English, representing an easy level book or a "first read" as some might call it. But of course It was not an easy book for me because I do not speak Polish, even though I am Polish.

                                                                      When the presenting started I stood up next to my grandparents and told the class about my Polish background. I made sure to specify about the certain Polish traditions my family celebrate's. I also spoke about a boat that my grandparents had once owned named Rodzina, which means family in Polish.
                                                    After I had presented and gave my information it was time for me to listen and enjoy the learning of other people's culture's. The first thing I learned was in the country across the sea, Ukraine. The couple presenter's from that country spoke one at a time about traditional dance outfits and pisanki eggs, a very decorative cultural Easter tradition. Plus, when Ukraine was rapping up, the class enjoyed some homemade cheese perogies, stuffed cabbage, and poppy seed filled pastries. I also experienced the telling of Ireland's household culture and was treated to a delicious Irish Soda bread.
                                                                     It was a very educational day in the case of discovering were everyone in the class came from. I had no idea that the entire world was in my classroom.