Culture, Cuisine, Linguistics: World Languages Week 2024

In celebration of the linguistic and cultural diversity represented within our World Languages Department, Marlborough was thrilled to host our first-annual World Languages Week. The World Languages Department invited the entire community to participate in immersive activities and regional cuisines, representing each of the languages taught at Marlborough.

On Monday, April 8 the week kicked-off with a piñata-making workshop in the Center for Entrepreneurship Makerspace to highlight our Spanish language program. Spanish teachers led students through this crafty activity, decorating cardboard tubes to create mini piñatas with fringed tissue paper and intricate designs. One student even creatively combined multiple tubes to create a traditional burro-shaped piñata. Students were then able to fill these vibrant treasures with an assortment of candy surprises.

In celebration of our Korean language courses, Korean teachers hosted photographer Emanuel Hahn for a Pushing Perspectives—Marlborough’s guest speaker series—on Tuesday, April 9. Mr. Hahn spoke about his winding journey to becoming a self-taught photographer and gave students an overview of his work Koreatown Dreaming. This photography book has become a passion-project of Mr. Hahn’s where he documents stories of Korean immigrants through the eyes of small business owners and members of Koreatowns in different cities throughout  the U.S. 

On Wednesday, the Alumnae Garden came alive with competition and laughter as students competed in the World Languages Olympics. Introduction to World Languages Ambassadors taught their peers games like Pétanque, Boules, Ttakji, Jian zi, and Lotería. A fierce showdown between Boules competitors concluded this lunchtime activity and fun prizes awaited winners and participants alike. 

The Chinese Culture and Language Club partnered with Marlborough Chinese-language instructor Fei Li to host a tea and snack tasting on Thursday. This provided students an opportunity to sip, savor, and discover the flavors of traditional Chinese teas and pair them with an array of traditional snacks. 

To conclude the week, French-language teachers hosted a crêpe-making workshop to celebrate French language and culture. Students were able to make their own crêpes entirely from scratch, including learning how to properly swirl batter on the griddle to achieve the famously thin consistency. Each crêpe was then customized with combinations of nutella, banana, whipped cream, and sugar. 

This multilingual extravaganza was a wonderful reminder of the joy students find in immersing themselves in the rigorous yet rewarding task of learning a new language. World Languages Department Head Andréa Fuentes sums it up perfectly by sharing, “World Language Week was an opportunity for our community to appreciate different cultures and languages, but also a reminder of how languages shape identities and bridge cultural differences.”

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In the image that accompanies this article, three students smile while playing Pétanque. The student on the left holds a turquoise ball in each hand. The student on the right is in motion throwing a yellow ball from her right hand.