Culture, Junkanoo and more provides New Phila grad a life-changing experience while studying abroad
They call it Junkanoo, the annual huge parade that takes place at Nassau, Bahamas (and several other Bahamian islands) each year on Dec. 26 and New Year’s Day. On a recent study abroad trip to Grand Bahama Island, a New Philadelphia High School graduate was able to view a mini Junkanoo parade and learn about the Bahamian culture. She learned there was more to the Bahamas (a group of about 700 islands among more than 100,000 square miles of ocean starting just 50 miles from the Florida coast) than just a beautiful, hot vacation spot.Brittany Hunka, a freshman molecular genetics major at Ohio State University, found that being from Tuscarawas County was an advantage when the county’s Appalachian designation made her eligible to apply for a cultural study abroad experience through the Ohio State University Office of Minority Affairs. After completing an extensive application and interview process, she was one of 10 students selected to spend nine days of her spring break last March at Grand Bahama Island. She was also awarded a small scholarship to offset expenses. Hunka, who is studying to become an obstetrician/gynecologist, always wanted to study abroad, so applying was an easy decision. “I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn,” she explained.
But being chosen for the trip was not all fun and games. She had to take a class during winter quarter to learn about Bahamian history and culture. Then, during the study abroad trip, Hunka had to conduct research in order to give a presentation upon her return to college. To collect data for their presentations, the students had an exhausting schedule, often leaving their hotel rooms at 7 a.m. and returning at 7 p.m. or later. They visited the College of the Bahamas, met and talked with children at a primary school and at a beacon school for children with disabilities. The students also engaged in people-to-people experiences where they had to meet and interview Bahamian residents.
Hunka researched Junkanoo and was able to witness a mini Junkanoo style parade while on the trip. Junkanoo is uniquely Bahamian and exists nowhere else. It’s an incredibly energetic, colorful parade including costumed Bahamians dancing to the music of cowbells, drums, horns and whistles. Although the primary parade takes place at Nassau, many of the Bahama islands host Junkanoo parades as a celebration to pay homage to the Bahamians’ roots as slaves who celebrated on Dec. 26 and Jan. 1 because those were their only days off from work. “People just dress up in costumes and dance and have a big parade,” explained Hunka, who likened the celebration to Mardi Gras at New Orleans. “Thousands and thousands of people, including a lot of celebrities, go to Nassau to see it.”
In addition to learning about Junkanoo, Hunka enjoyed witnessing the cultural differences between the Bahamas and the United States and observing the different methods that the Bahamian people use when handling situations. She said the experience increased her awareness of opportunities available in other countries. “I really, really liked just learning about a different culture and then going there to experience it firsthand,” she shared. “I really like it there. Everyone is really nice.”
One thing about the Bahamian culture that many would find surprising is that Christianity plays such an important role in their lives. “They all go to church,” Hunka noted. “That’s a really big part of their culture.”
Hunka hopes her experience will lead to future opportunities to participate in a Spanish language study abroad program though Ohio State University. Of course, she also wouldn’t mind returning to the Bahamas to experience Junkanoo firsthand.