Today we piled into the bus and traveled to Brooklyn to participate in the Parade of Nations in celebration of unity and friendship around the world. Despite having lived in New York for the past several years, I hadn’t been to that particular area of Brooklyn before and it was fun to experience a new neighborhood with new friends. We each got to carry a flag representing a different country, and many of the participants were actually immigrants from the countries whose flags they bore. The flags also served as a great opportunity to discuss geography, international relations, and travel with our Chinese colleagues.
The parade itself was great—I was surprised at how many spectators were taking pictures and interacting with us—but my favorite part of the day was the cultural performances at the end. We got to sit on the steps of Borough Hall and watch many different musical and dancing acts. I was especially impressed by the stilt walkers and the young musician from Pakistan. It was also cool to see so many locals show up with their young children, who were enraptured by the various performances.
