James Irvine

9/25/2012

Polynesian Festival 

            Today for my Cultural experience I attended the Polynesian Festival. There were a lot of people there and a lot of stuff was going on. They were giving out free food that was delicious. I had to wait in the longest line just to get this food. It probably took me about thirty minutes just to get a little plate of food. They also had a snow cone making booth but I did not get to go to this because only the first one hundred students got theirs free and I did not want to pay. Also during the festival there were booths set up from different sections of the campus, like the business office was out there. I talked to the business office people and they gave me a career guide and told me about how there was going to be a job fair Thursday, October 4, 2012 at the Kellogg Library Plaza. They were telling me that there will be numerous employers there for students that are graduating and students that are still in school. Also, at the Festival there were free lays, I think. I did not get to get one but I think they were giving them out. There was a photo booth there also and you got to take a picture with a hula dancer with a coconut bra and a surfer dude. We all would put up the “hang loose,” “shakabra” hand sign. I felt like I was in Hawaii or something. It was a pretty hot day and I remember taking off my backpack and my back being kind of damp. I am glad that I had my sunglasses because it was very bright outside. I went to the festival with some fellow classmates, Emily Fisher and Makaela Logan and their roommates. I took a picture with them which they will probably have on their blogs so go check theirs out also. But what I found most interesting about the Polynesian culture was the dancing and singing that they were performing. The music was fun. It was fun to listen to and watch them play the instruments. It was a lot of drums and fast beats. The dancing was very elegant also. They move so smoothly when they dance and all the dance moves are very creative. What I liked most when one of the guys started dancing was how he brought the crowd into the dance also. For example when he would say something everyone would clap once and when he said something different everyone would clap twice and shout “ohhhhhhhh” until he dropped his hand. What I also thought was cool was the language he was speaking and kind of teaching everyone. Like when we would have to clap once there was a word that he would yell. I forget what the words are but they are very interesting. The Polynesian language is a very exotic language that kind of reminds me of an Indian tribe. Another thing that I liked about the festival was how it was Hawaiian themed and everyone that was working it or helping out was wearing dress skirts with Hawaiian flowers and button up Hawaiian shirts. It makes me want to go to Hawaii and learn how to do the dances for real. Also to just hangout on the beach and surf but that’s beside the point.

              Overall I think that Polynesian festival was a major success and showed everyone the great and exotic cultures of the Polynesian people. I am glad that I attended this event and I want to attended many other events like this to expand my knowledge of cultures around the world. I find peoples’ cultures to be very interesting and very different from everyone else’s. There are special things about every different culture that makes that culture their own.

            I thank everyone who volunteered and helped out at the Polynesian Festival today. You did a wonderful job and I cant wait for next years festivities!