Vacations are a great time to explore new places and people. This summer, consider visiting places of different cultures. This could mean traveling overseas or an international stay-cation. Visit an ethnic neighborhood in a major city near you (Chinese, Korean, Hmong, Somali, Nepalese, etc.).
Family Activity:
Teaching Time: half day, not including travel time
Materials: cameras or phones with camera
Take your family on a Photo Scavenger Hunt in an ethnic neighborhood. Try to find the following things:
- Take a photo of a sign in a different language. Ask a local person what it says.
- Take a photo of a food you’ve never seen before in a food market. Ask the storeowner what it is called and how people prepare it.
- Take photos of your family sampling a food or drinks from another culture at an ethnic restaurant or snack shop. Ask the servers to recommend their favorites.
- Take photos of your family trying on hats, clothing, scarves, or jewelry from the culture. Ask an employee to tell you what it is made from and when people might wear it.
- Take photos of your family in the front of a cultural museum. Then go in and explore. If you are not sure where to find a museum, ask someone who works or lives in the neighborhood.
- Take photos of your family in front of a statue in the neighborhood. Ask someone local about the history of meaning behind it.
- Take photos of signs in the neighborhood that advertise upcoming musical or cultural events (concert, play, festival, parade, etc.). Plan to attend an event and take pictures of your family. Ask people you meet there about the historical meaning behind the event.
Discuss:
- Look through the photos you took and think about your experiences. How would our life be different if we moved into the neighborhood we explored? What might we need help doing?
- God often sends people who are culturally different from us into our lives. What if a family from the ethnic neighborhood moved to our hometown? What things might seem strange to them? In what ways could our family help them to feel comfortable in their new surroundings?
Pray:
Pray that God will make your family aware of and sensitive to people around you who are from other cultures.
