Ohio China Day in Columbus

I moved to Ohio a few months ago and have always been wondering if I can find a bit more Chinese heritage in this part of the U.S. With my Toastmasters network, I attended the Ohio China Day on February 8 in Columbus.



When I first stepped into the venue, I was amazed at how many Chinese there were! Having lived in a small town in New Mexico for a few years, it is almost overwhelming to see so many Chinese all at one place. I got really curious and started to look around.

At the entrance of the venue, I saw a yellow table with the names of different Chinese schools on it. Then I started to realize how established the Chinese community here is. Wow, I was really impressed.

Ohio China Day brought the Chinese communities in various parts of Ohio together. Vendors, such as Chinese restaurants and other businesses owned by Chinese, set up counters at the event. The main attraction was the different cultural performances by adults and kids to celebrate Chinese New Year. Some of the performances sounded a bit like those in the American Idol, but they certainly had high entertainment value! Overall, it was a fun-filled event and I enjoyed seeing the Chinese heritage unfolded in a foreign land.

Asian Pacific Islanders' Club

Wherever you go in the America or Europe, you probably either find a Chinatown or some kind of Asian clubs. Asians tend to be tightly knitted and prefer to preserve their culture even when they are in a foreign country. I live in Alamogordo, which is a small town with 30,000 people. There is not a big Asian community, but yet there is an Asian Pacific Islanders' Club on Holloman Air Force Base. It is a DOD (Department of Defense) approved club on base with the goal of promoting the Asian Pacific cultures and friendship among different nationals.

I interviewed them in October when they had a fund raiser in preparation for the International Children's Festival on 15 December. They will be organizing a food tasting together with the German on base. I will be covering the event this Saturday, and will post the video on my New Mexico blog.