By Tami Lange
Theres not much Rumen Zdravchev cant tell you about China.
Standing in the booth at the Wooster Ethnic Fair on April 13, 10-year-old Rumen clicked off information about Chinas geography and demographics, traditions, food, and culture.
Lots of people like badminton and ping pong, he said, though soccer is very popular, too.
He showed a set a mah jong tiles and pointed with pride to his red t-shirt, made to look like the Chinese flag.
A third-grader at Cornerstone Elementary and an adoptee from China four years ago, Rumen is one of two students in his class with a different cultural background, according to teacher Jenny Gaut. He and the other third grader, this one from England, inspired the class to put together two booths for this years WE Fair at the Wayne County Fairgrounds.
The China booth won the large booth award, according to Gil Ning, a long-time WE Fair organizer, and with it a plaque and a small cash award. It was among the 40 booths at the event, which also showcases the newest Embracing Our Differences banners, as well as a new antibullying banner display. In spite of the coolness and occasional drizzle of an early spring day, Ning said attended was good. Its not too cold. Its not too hot for people to want to be outside and the sun is going to come out.
Booths are broken down into different categories, according to Ning. There are the mainstays, people of different cultures who organize a booth; service providers and organizations working with and in the field of diversity, and schools, who seize the opportunity for an educational experience.
The 20 students in Gauts class did all the research themselves, she said, calling the project an authentic learning experience. She helped with the booth set up, but said the yeomans share of the work was done by the class. It teaches harmony, she said, We may all come from different cultures, but we all want to the same things.
Rumens presentation was watched with pride by his mother, Marcy (his father is Dimitar), and other students – all of whom seemed anxious to share their knowledge with the hundreds of visitors to the booth. The other great thing about the project, Gaut said, is the social aspect. How do you approach people? How do you talk to them? Is there any stranger danger?
Also among those happily greeting people was Norman Chamusah from Zimbabwe and a junior at The College of Wooster. His booth won the small booth award and Chamusah was sharing his story with attendees throughout the building.
He was one of a handful of top students in Zimbabwe who found their way to American colleges with the assistance of advisers from the U.S. Embassy. Wooster appealed to him, he said, because he is from a small town and was looking for a smaller school. He also liked the schools independent study program and was anxious to play for the Scots soccer team.
And while he does get homesick, Chamusah said, he has a wonderful host family and has taken advantage of opportunities presented to him on campus, including stints as a resident assistant and president of the International Student Association.
Post-Wooster, Chamusah said he plans to study software engineering in graduate school and then go back to Africa to bring changes in technology.
