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Speaker 1: 1:21

Welcome to the Bubble Lounge. I'm Martha Jackson and this Saturday the HP Culture Fest is happening at Highland Park Presbyterian Church and it is going to be amazing. You all are not going to believe what all they have planned and all the experiences that you're going to have. It's the perfect event to bring your whole family to and it's a great opportunity to learn about other cultures. There's going to be a lot of singing and dancing and food and you are going to have the opportunity to learn so much you are going to be blown away. So I invited the former chair and the current chair to fill us in on all the details and just a little pre-warning you're going to be very hungry after you listen to this episode. Ladies, thank you so much for being here today. Can you each introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about you, hi?

Speaker 2: 2:11

my name is Esther Choi. I have three boys. One, Oscar, is a sophomore in college at the University of Michigan. He graduated in 2023. I have a junior, William, at the high school and Matthew is my youngest. He's in seventh grade at HPMS.

Speaker 3: 2:29

Hi, I'm Parle Horsora. I'm also a Highland Park mom and I have two kids One graduated in 2020, and I currently have a senior about to graduate. So thank you for having us, martha.

Speaker 1: 2:43

Absolutely Well. We're here today to talk about the upcoming HP Culture Fest and I am so excited because I was my kids went to UP Elementary and we did something very similar and we absolutely loved growing as a family, and I was just so blown away just by all the different representations from different countries and all the things that we learned and the food that we got to experience, and I was super excited to see that we were doing it at the high school as well. So tell us what this event is all about.

Speaker 2: 3:15

Well, hp Culture Fest was actually modeled after UP International Night, and some parents back then said hey, we're doing this at the elementary school, why are we not doing it in all of the other campuses? This is something that we should be doing at the middle school and the high school, and just for everyone in the district. And so that's where it was born out, and now it's a big event and it encompasses all of the campuses, everyone in the neighborhood, and it's been very successful. We're really proud of how it's grown.

Speaker 1: 3:49

Well, I was so excited to find out that you had over 800 people attend it last year. I know right, I mean, that is a lot of people. It grew really fast.

Speaker 2: 3:58

I know, and this is only the third year, I know right, wow.

Speaker 1: 4:00

Well, congratulations on everything. So what can we expect to experience when we come to the Culture Fest?

Speaker 2: 4:09

Well, there's definitely a lot of food. That's a big thing.

Speaker 2: 4:13

That's my highlight People at Culture Fest. They love their food, and so you're going to get food from all different kinds of countries. There will be crafts and activities mainly run by the high school students, so there'll be, like, chinese calligraphy painting, eiffel Tower 3D model building, there will be a Korean like squid game type of game going on, henna tattoos all those kinds of fun, interactive things. And there's going to be a fashion show where students and parents will be showcasing their cultural costumes from different countries and there's a whole lineup of performances and that's all going on and there will be a photo booth. There will be raffle baskets. There'll be tons of things. It'll be a huge interactive experience.

Speaker 1: 5:07

Well, it sounds like the perfect opportunity, just like a community event where we all come together and you can bring the whole family.

Speaker 2: 5:14

Absolutely. It's for all ages, little kids up until high school. There's something for everybody.

Speaker 1: 5:22

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Speaker 2: 6:10

on so many volunteers but luckily our community is totally filled with people from all over the world. Dallas is definitely a global city and our bubble is as well. There are people from. I think at the last year's event there were people from 40 different cultures, countries and regions represented, and those are only the ones that actually volunteer. There are more out there and so we have, we recruit people from all over all the different campuses, all the different pockets of our bubble, and we use our previous volunteers to look for, ask their friends, like say, hey, do you want to get involved?

Speaker 2: 7:04

You know, I know you're from Latvia, I know you, you know are Ugandan or whatever, and could you share. And so we just kind of ask. Really a lot word of mouth and it just sort of spreads that, oh, did you know there's a Sculpture Fest going on and you know you can showcase your Thailand background and people get excited when they hear about it. And so gradually people just come on board and they hear about it and as we get rolling, more and more people hear about it and more and more people step up and volunteers keep coming in actually, as the year goes on and that being said, we have a lot of volunteers that aren't actually hosting a country or region table.

Speaker 3: 7:45

They just want to help out, and so they're doing a lot of behind the scenes work and helping organize our students or sponsorships and things like that.

Speaker 1: 7:58

Well, that is something I wanted to ask about is sponsorships. When you and I talked on the phone, Esther, it sounds like you are doing very, very well in that area and that has really grown a lot.

Speaker 2: 8:08

Yes, it has exceeded our expectations. So this is the first year that we became a nonprofit and so we completely relied on sponsorship funding and we had never done this before. This is new territory, sponsorship funding and we had never done this before. This is new territory. So we formed a fundraising committee and we started. We formed a sponsor letter and started asking and I used to about just a few months ago when we first started doing this, I remember thinking, gosh, are we going to have enough money to pay for everything? I don't know. And then the money just started coming in and the way that the community has embraced us and supported us and just wanted to support us has been really heartwarming. I'm just really encouraged. And people still say, hey, can I contribute, can I help? And I have a donor wall on the website to acknowledge our donors and I'm having to update it constantly because more and more donors keep giving us money and wanting to support. So it's been wonderful. We're in a very healthy financial position and so we're really fortunate about that. Very grateful.

Speaker 1: 9:25

Right, that is so wonderful. I mean just like what you were saying with how it keeps growing in popularity within the community as far as people wanting to participate, then also the community businesses wanting to be a part of this too. I think that speaks volumes of the job you all are doing to putting this on.

Speaker 2: 9:43

It does, and I love that, because this is really a community event and the more people, as well as the more businesses, show their support and are involved, the more that it really is a community thing. This isn't just a small pocket of people putting this on. This is really by everybody, for everybody. It's really a huge community-wide event.

Speaker 1: 10:07

Right. I think it's such a great opportunity to basically get to know your neighbors that's how I felt at UP Elementary all those years ago is you know us as parents? A lot of times we're just so busy and we don't have the opportunity to really get to know each other, to really get to know each other. And then there I am at our culture fest thinking wow, I had no idea that we had people from all over the world right here in the Park Cities and it was so fun visiting each table and getting to know their culture and trying their food. And I remember my daughter loved dressing up in different costumes to tie in with other cultures and it just was such a fun time.

Speaker 2: 10:48

Yeah, and we're going to have those costumes again and there will be a photo booth. They can take lots of pictures, so there will be a lot of fun opportunities like that. Definitely. That was one of the I think I felt. I remember feeling kind of stunned when I went to the first Culture Fest seeing how many of my friends and acquaintances and just people I didn't know in our own neighborhood that were from all these different countries and I had no idea because we just go around our day, like you know, we do the same old things we go to class, we drop off our and no one's really showcasing their cultural background on their sleeve. You know, like, so you just don't know. And, like like one of my friends, I'm like I didn't know you had a cultural background from. You know that country or I?

Speaker 2: 11:37

didn't know that you were a Latvian or Iranian or you know, I just didn't know. And here they are dressed up as you know, in their costumes and everything, and serving pierogies or whatever it is.

Speaker 3: 11:47

I love that you brought up UP International Night, because my kids also went to UP and that was one of our favorite events and it was a time when, you know, there was something else being recognized and celebrated. That isn't a day-to-day conversation. And after we left UP, it was like a void. I was like, oh, I wish they would have this district-wide. And we talked about that. All the other UP parents who had graduated, we'd talk about it and be like, oh, it's too bad, it's not district-wide.

Speaker 3: 12:17

And then there was this parent who came from Turkey a few years ago Nazli, who was our first co-chair for the first event and her kids were part of the ESL program at UP. And she looked around and said, well, there's all these international families. We should be doing more get-togethers or have an event focused on our backgrounds backgrounds. And she approached the administration and they said, yeah, sure, you can put together a district-wide event. So it was great to have it at UP, but even better to have it district-wide, where everyone would be invited, and so that's kind of the history and I can elaborate on that a little bit. So in 2019 is when Nosley started speaking to more parents and we all jumped on board and then COVID hit. So the planning was virtual for a while, but then we finally organized for our first event in the fall of 2022. Wow, and yeah, I must, you know, speaking to, the feeling of walking into that event was just my heart just kind of burst, you know.

Speaker 2: 13:32

It is really stunning to see all of the displays and all of the people, the color the vibrancy, the smells and yeah and you have this beautiful cafeteria.

Speaker 3: 13:43

But for the first time ever, we're like 50 international flags adorning the top of the cafeteria, on the perimeter, and it just takes your breath away. And then below that are all the table hosts and then the colorful performances on stage and music, of course, food. So all of your senses are involved.

Speaker 1: 14:06

It almost sounds like sensory overload, but in a good way, a very good way.

Speaker 3: 14:11

And, personally, the highlight for me was the impact on my kids. So one had already graduated by this time my son class of 2020. And I started showing him pictures of what we were organizing and showed him the flags, and he was blown away, needless to say, and so proud of his mom being involved in this, you know. And then my daughter started getting involved as a student volunteer and she helped with the craft tables and I you know it's a little bit of pulling your child into something you're doing so that you can get their help and they can be part of what you're doing, but the end of that event she kind of looked at me with newfound pride in her eyes which you love as a parent, because you know there's mother-daughter tension usually, of course, and you could see that she too had come to recognize that this was a special event.

Speaker 3: 15:09

It had special meaning to us as an international family, so just wanted to say the personal impact that had.

Speaker 1: 15:17

Well, she saw you in a very different light and just the fact that you put on such a big production that brought the community together, I think, is just invaluable. Great lesson for the kids to learn. I don't know about you, but when my teenagers started driving I was a nervous wreck. So many things that could go wrong and God forbid they get into an accident. Sure, we have car insurance, but for some young drivers the monthly insurance can be higher than the car payment. That's why we're excited to announce that State Farm is lowering their car insurance rates.

Speaker 1: 15:49

And you should call our good friend Kathy L Wall with State Farm on Lovers Lane in Dallas. You see, kathy and her team don't just sell car insurance, they sell peace of mind. So if an accident happens, they're actively working on your claim so you can put that accident behind you. And, best of all, kathy will personally talk with your teen driver with some straight talk that will help them appreciate the driving privilege you have provided them. So if you're tired of high rates for auto insurance, please call our good friend Kathy Elwall, state Farm at 214-350-2692 or visit her website at kathylwallcom and let her know. Martha from the Bubble Lounge sent you. Well, you know. The truth is a lot of us don't have the opportunity to make these travels and go visit all these countries, especially families with younger children, and kind of go through what we can expect if we have younger children. What will the event look like for them?

Speaker 3: 16:48

This is one of the highlights of our event, which is you actually feel like you're traversing the world when you walk into the event and you walk by table booth after table booth and you're seeing different cultures represented, a very visual of each country, and sometimes there will be a host there in their traditional outfit serving food from their country. And so you know parents with kids definitely bring your kids along, because they'll actually feel like they're traveling around the world.

Speaker 2: 17:21

Yeah, like you can go to a booth, kind of like you're visiting a country, you know, and you can have this tangible, in-person, tactile experience by eating the food, seeing the visuals, meeting the person. You can even try saying bonjour, you know, like they say, learn how to say hello in the cultural in the country that you're visiting, and they're prepared to teach you as well. We're saying learn to say hello in that country's language. Um, and they, many of them, will have crafts, like the japan table will have origami. You can try something with your hands. Um, definitely it's just. It's like a I'm going to visit this country and that country and I mean, just think about it like namibia is500 miles away from home, but you can just drive five minutes over to Culture Fest and go visit a person from that country who has all these experiences and is going to share their food and their culture and experience with you. And how awesome is that? And you don't have to mess with the airport, you don't have to buy a plane ticket.

Speaker 3: 18:25

And while that's going on, you could just turn and look at the stage and we'll have so many cultural performances, music and dance.

Speaker 2: 18:38

And this year. So there's an African drummer group, bandang Koro, that's going to be there and they're going to be interactive this year. They're going to have their drums and they're going to be dancing and they're going to be encouraging people to come and dance with them and teach them a few African dance moves. So that's really fun. And also Flamenco Fever is going to be here and they're going to teach flamenco. So if you ever wanted to try authentic Spanish flamenco dancing, you know you can do that too. And so just you know you can dance, you can eat, you know all of the things.

Speaker 3: 19:16

There's a lot for everybody to do and one of the best things, I think, is walking in and then recognizing so many people who are your neighbors or you know kids, classmates, parents and families and then you, you get to relate on this whole other level, which is, oh, you know, I didn't know that about you and then that person just feels this pride about sharing and you share with each other and your kids see you sharing, which is the best thing ever. When the kids say, oh, it's okay to talk about what we eat at home, or where my grandpa grew up, or something like that, and yeah, or eat like foods that you wouldn't normally eat, or see your friend have a turban wrapped around his head and take a picture, and that's really fun too.

Speaker 2: 20:03

That's what they do every year at the.

Speaker 3: 20:05

India table and one of the outcomes that we see is that people make these connections that are long-lasting Friendships come out of it. It's just unbelievable. I know how it affects me, but then I hear occasionally how it affected somebody else, and then I see them hanging out together because they met at Culture Fest. I love that.

Speaker 2: 20:26

Yeah, I think really making connections is probably the number one big asset about having something like Culture Fest. It really does bring people together and you know, for like I wanted to share this one story One of our friends he's a Chinese man he was taking out the trash this is several years ago and someone called the cops on him and UP police came and said hey, what are you doing here? And he was like I live here. And I found out, unfortunately, that the neighbor down the alley, just a few doors down from him, didn't know him and didn't recognize him and called the cops on him. And you know, that's where I feel like you know, the more we connect and know each other, the better we are. Like, get to know your neighbors, come to Culture Fest. Like, get to know your neighbors, people who you normally don't see, maybe. You know, we know the people from our kids' friends and you know the soccer, the Y groups and you know all that stuff.

Speaker 2: 21:28

But there are other ways to connect with people us if it weren't for something like Culture Fest, because it brings people from diverse backgrounds together where we can say hi and get to know each other and say, oh, you live on my street. Oh, I didn't know that, and so say hello, and so you know, and really like isolation and misunderstanding. I think it's just really dangerous to our society and this is a great way to counter that. We want to, we don't want to be isolated, we don't want to misunderstand each other. We want to. You know, we don't want to fear each other. We want, we want to be together.

Speaker 1: 22:12

We're our neighbor we're neighbors, we share this space together, we live together. I mean, and just imagine the conversations that open up by discovering your neighbors are from another country, that maybe you've never been to or you didn't know much about, and that just sounds like you can just learn so much from each other. Sometimes you just want to escape for the weekend, but who wants to deal with packing up the car, driving for hours and staying in someone else's home? Just over an hour from Dallas is Long Cove, a hidden gem of a lakefront second home community that makes weekend getaways effortless. The full-service marina means your boat is always ready, there is a year-round event calendar and there's always staff to help you, no matter what the request. No stress, just effortless living. Whether it's a quick overnight trip or a long weekend, you can show up, unwind and enjoy every minute with family and friends. If you're looking for a second home without the hassle, long Cove is it. Book a tour today at longcovetexascom or call 214-919-3719.

Speaker 1: 23:21

Well, when I was at UP Elementary, I got to know Kuntir and I just think she is so amazing.

Speaker 1: 23:27

She's from Cambodia. I did not know a lot about Cambodia and she has such passion and just such zest to share her culture with everyone and she loves to talk about it across the entire country a couple of years ago and it was just quite the story to hear everything she went through she experienced some danger and she felt so accomplished after she did it and she loves to talk about that. But one thing that happened during my days at UP is a lot of the ladies came together and they had a dinner party where they all shared their food. I was absolutely blown away by the talent they had. I mean, this was like they could rival any restaurant out there with the amount of food and the quality. It was just amazing and she was one of the main contributors to that. But it just was really nice to get to know her over all these years. And I understand you guys have a new venue this year that you want to tell us about.

Speaker 2: 24:33

Yes, this year we are going to be at Highland Park Presbyterian Church, so still right here in the bubble. It's very centrally located, very convenient, and they just recently remodeled their um their church, so it's a beautiful facility, um with plenty of parking um, so it should not be a problem for anyone to get there or to park um. Yeah, they've been gracious um to have us there. They have um advanced audio equipment and so it'll be?

Speaker 1: 25:05

yes, I've. I've done some NCL events there before and I mean that is top notch. I love that room and the stage and we did a fashion show one time there. So now I have a visual of what it's going to look like. That place is beautiful. And again back to parking. They have a wonderful garage. It will be very easy to park. So I know it's only the third year, but can you share any of your favorite memories or things that have happened when you've been at the Culture Fest?

Speaker 3: 25:32

Well, I mean just that feeling of walking in and being overwhelmed by the beauty and the fullness of the event. I loved the turban wrapping.

Speaker 2: 25:46

To see all the kids with their, all the high school kids with the turbans and taking a group photo. I thought that was so fun and that just it just showed people like you know extending themselves and learning about a different culture and just taking it on in a very fun way. I thought that that was just a real fun moment for me to see One of my favorites was the first event.

Speaker 3: 26:11

We had mariachi and they actually came a little late, but when they finally came and they marched in those, the student entrance and then they walked towards a stage, it was just so glorious, like unbelievable here we had this. It was just so glorious, like unbelievable here we had this. You know professional mariachi walking into our high school and it was just so fun.

Speaker 2: 26:41

I also love seeing people from different tables and different cultures hugging and talking and eating each other's foods, Like just the visual of seeing someone dressed in one country's costume and her friend dressed in another country's costume and here they are, like you know, hugging each other and saying hi and oh, look at you and that looks great, and you know, it's just that. That cross connection was just really cool to see.

Speaker 1: 27:02

Well, you two have done a tremendous job of painting a picture of what we can expect. I'm super excited. How can we all get involved?

Speaker 2: 27:29

participate and enjoy everything. You can subscribe to our newsletter. You can go to our website. It has all the information about signing up for our newsletter and to keep abreast of what we're doing. We put on other events besides Culture Fest too, like this year we had a Lunar New Year event and we're probably going to have some more celebrations throughout the year. We're all about celebrating cultures, so that. And then we have a volunteer page.

Speaker 2: 27:48

If you're interested in doing some general volunteering High school students you get service hours and NH hours. If you're involved in that, sign up for that and you can earn your service hours. We need all the help. We can get as little or as much as you'd like to give, especially if you have some kind of a cultural heritage or connection. You don't necessarily have to have your grandpa from Italy or whatever to be involved, just a love for the country or maybe you traveled there a lot and you have an understanding or background or some kind of a lot and you have a. You know an understanding or background or some kind of a. You know, maybe you know the language, you know any of that. It's all welcome, so let us know. You can go to our volunteer page and fill out a form there, or just sign up with our newsletter.

Speaker 1: 28:37

Yeah, and it is free to attend, but we need to register online, right?

Speaker 2: 28:43

Yes, so there is a registration tab on our website I think it's called register or registration and you just go there and it's just real. Click, click, click. There's a waiver there and that's just there to ensure a safe and family-friendly environment. You know, we don't want anybody to burn down the church or anything like that. So just fill out your waiver and then when you come to Culture Fest, we'll check your waiver and issue you a wristband and that's it. And then you just have at it and you go and enjoy everything that we have to offer.

Speaker 1: 29:18

Hey Sean, where are we on time? Are we ready to wrap it up? Okay, it feels like it's about.

Speaker 2: 29:22

Can I say one more thing? I have a lot of controversial like more things, but it's, I think, maybe too controversial to say you guys did a really really good job.

Speaker 1: 29:30

Okay, I feel like we held back a lot.

Speaker 3: 29:34

What else? Yeah, just the impact it has on our students to see this event taking place in our neighborhood is just the best. It's unusual, it's new and, yes, international Night happens at UP every year, but this is more broadly experienced by the whole district and I think it's very impactful for all our students to know that it happens here.

Speaker 2: 30:02

Yeah, and I think especially because there's a perception that Highland Park is very homogeneous, but it's actually not the case. We actually have so much richness here and there's so much to share, and I feel like it's really enriching to all of us and inspiring to all of us. It educates us all and it helps us understand each other better, and I think it just makes our society and our community so much, so much better in so many ways, and so I think it's a real asset and the more that everyone is involved in it, the more it becomes really about everyone and all about us all, and a lot of great things can happen coming from it.

Speaker 1: 30:40

Well, ladies, thank you so much for sharing everything today. I am hungry now and I am super excited, and we will see you all on Saturday, april 5th, from 12 to 3 pm at Highland Park Presbyterian Church, and I will include a link to their website so you can register. But we want to see you there, ladies. Thank you so much again for being here. Thank you so much for having us. It was so fun. That's been another episode of the Bubble Lounge. I'm Martha Jackson and I'll see you next time.