Naval Station Everett’s (NSE) Child Development Center (CDC) held an international festival Jan. 21, where children of all ages were able to experience the culture of several different countries.

Before the festival started, each classroom’s educational aides picked a country they wanted to represent.

“Each class picked a country that represented a child from that classroom,” said Marlene Espe, educational aid at the NSE CDC. “In our room, one of our kids is from Togo, West Africa, so that is the country we chose.”

The educational aides of each classroom built displays for the country they represented that included their countries history, government, culture, and other various facts. The displays also included pictures, and many taught children how to say different words in their country’s language. They also prepared food from each country for the parents and children to taste during the festival.

Some of the countries included in the festival were West Africa, Mexico, Ukraine, Ireland, Japan, China, Armenia, and Germany.

During the festival, the children traveled from display to display, learning about each country as they went. The hands-down favorite part of the festival for the children as well as their parents was the many different foods they were able to sample. They were able to taste such foods as Ukraine’s no fry doughnuts, Hawaii’s fruit kabobs, China’s egg rolls, or the Philippine’s Cassava Cake.

“My son’s favorite part of the festival was the Irish cookies,” Said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate Equipment Airman Rashawnda Patrick, NSE. “There were a lot of kids and parents there, and I could tell they were all really enjoying the festival.”

The CDC has been hosting an International Festival each year for over 10 years.