Take advantage of Carbondale culture

Dear Editor:

I am aware that Mr. Villareal has brought to our attention the sentiment of experiencing culture outside one's own in his article last week. I only would like to gently nudge our students and faculty to do so again. We are quite fortunate that Carbondale attracts so much diversity, especially due to its somewhat rural location.

It seems imprudent that people fail to take advantage of the richness of cultural opportunities available to them. I attended the Indian Dance Festival Friday, and I was not shocked to learn that my 2-year-old daughter and I were a couple of the handful of non-Indian attendees. That was fine by me, as my purpose there was to learn about people that I knew little about.

Everyone there was very warm and welcoming; they seemed pleased that my daughter was there to explore as well. I had several questions about the prayer rituals of Puja, their lovely traditional clothing and the delectable food they were offering. All of my questions were answered with kindness and sincerity.

I would like to thank everybody for making me feel so comfortable. As I stood back and observed the swirling, vivid colors of the women and children and the spruce debonair of the men, I became completely spellbound.

Though I did not get out there and dance myself (my daughter was getting hard to handle at that point), I now know that next time I would like to attempt to try, I will be met with familiar faces and outstretched hands. I feel honored to have been there. What a beautiful culture.

Sarah J. King

graduate student in therapeutic recreation

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