International Fest shows how Logan County 4-H is not just about farm

 

[October 23, 2019] 

The Logan County 4-H Clubs held their annual International Fest on Monday evening. The 4-H Clubs from around the county choose a country to research and then present a program covering many of the aspects of the country that make them different from all others. Four clubs were involved this year, Chester with a report on Costa Rica, Cloverdale represented Nepal, Hollanders spoke about Haiti, and Pioneers took everyone to England.

This year, 4-H member and Lincoln Community High School senior Grace Lessen was the guest presenter. She spoke about her time as an exchange student in Costa Rica.

“International Fest has been a long standing tradition of Logan County 4-H,” said Logan County 4-H Coordinator Amy Hyde. The call goes out for clubs to participate, to choose the country they want to research, and make a presentation before parents and relatives at the University of Illinois Extension Office at the Logan County Fair Grounds. But this is not just looking up some facts about the country. The 4-H members prepare a story board about the country, make a presentation, and then prepare a feast for the audience.

Yes, they find out about native foods and prepare them for all to enjoy. No one went away hungry. There were Nepalese dumplings, rice and beans, orange cake and plantain porridge from Haiti, fried plantains from Costa Rica, and Sheppard’s pie and bangers and mash from Britain. What a wonderful spread.

Grace Lessen has been a 4-H member for nine years. She went to Costa Rica last year for two weeks as an exchange student. She found the environment and culture to be very different from what she was used to. One of her most memorable experiences was the cultural attitude to life in Costa Rica. “One of the things I found so different is something called 'Tico time' in Costa Rica,” she said.

Tico time is just a way of living, not the structured and hurried life of the US, but a more relaxed lifestyle. “I was really surprised at how the pace of life was much slower than at home. I always have to be on time all the time, always rushing around, but it is not that way in Costa Rica at all,” she said.

Grace found this to be true even in the school she attended. Students came to class when they wanted to and left whenever. “There was a one hour break in the morning and afternoon, and one hour for lunch,” she said. Students did not have to obtain a permission slip to leave class before it ended. They just got up and walked out, came back when they wanted to. “I was very surprised at this way of life,” she said. But she adapted. When asked if she was getting used to this pace she said “After two weeks I felt myself getting into a new pace, not feeling rushed to stick to a strict schedule.”

Part of her experience in Costa Rica was a visit to a national park. “The animals were unique to the country. I had never seen anything like it, from tiny poisonous frogs, to huge iguanas, and colorful parrots that dived underwater to snare fish to eat,” she said. “Some of the iguanas were four feet long. We gave them a lot of space when they were lounging on the stairs at the resort where we stayed,” she said with a laugh.

Hyde said, “4-H is not just about farm life.” Attend an event like International Fest in Logan County and that becomes crystal clear.

[Curtis Fox]