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The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in NY
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The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in NY
Published on 2018-08-12
Ready, set, row!
The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York (www.hkdbf-ny.org) is one of the largest dragon boat festivals in the US, an annual sporting and multicultural event held every August on Meadow Lake in Flushing. The festival hosts over 120 dragon boat teams from across North America and provides visitors with traditional Chinese performances and delicious food.
This year, the festival celebrated its 28th anniversary with an opening day parade on Saturday, August 11, and the US Dragon Boat Open Championship Race on Sunday, August 12.
Over 20 exchange interns from the Cross Cultural Internship Program (www.theccip.com) participated in the races and the festivities. They wore their team t-shirt featuring the slogan, "We're all in the same boat," -- an expression of how cultural diversity and cooperation can achieve the program's goals.
All CCIP exchange visitors study at top universities in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Macau. They attend an exchange visitor internship program in New York with different host organizations, six of which are US legislators' offices. Cultural activities like the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival bring exchange visitors together with New Yorkers for big events and allow them to experience US culture at a grass-roots level.
The festival kicked off on Saturday with a race team parade and lion dance and ended with a dragon ritual. After the ceremony, a few legislators posed for photos with CCIP racers and booth teams, praising their work and team spirit.
On the water, the interns competed in four of the dragon boat races, including the Saturday Heritage Open 200M, Sunday Educational 200M, Sponsor Challenge 200M, and Media 200M. The paddlers showed their morale and determination in tight competition, inspired by cheers from peers and new friends.
Team captain and student leader Parthiban R, a graduate student from Nanyang Technological University, said, "When my co-coordinators and I were planning this event, we hoped it would bring us together as a community despite our cultural differences. I'm glad that after we shared thoughts with the rest of the students, many of them couldn't wait to participate. I think the race showcased our unity and ability to work towards a greater goal!" The team made a strong showing despite their inexperience. "We had to come together quickly as a team to learn how to work as though we had trained together for years," he added. When he's not steering a dragon boat, Parthiban is an intern at Antonio Peguero Jr., a law firm in NYC.
Back on dry land, other CCIP students volunteered at festival booths for which they had designed cultural activities. They met program visitors, interacted with spectators, set up photo booths, and supported a meaningful Flushing YMCA initiative to promote health awareness and bring in donations.
An intern at First American International Bank, Hong Kong University student Phoebe Guan earned her stripes as a group leader managing the racing team and festival booths. "I am so glad to be part of such huge multicultural event with so many people," she said. "It was a rewarding feeling to work the booth and see every visitor leave with a big smile."
"This activity did more than just bonding us as a group; it allowed us to spread goodwill and gratitude to the larger community," added Aithent intern Jackson Lai, another group leader and booth manager from Hong Kong.
At the festival's end on Sunday, the students had dinner together to celebrate the weekend's collective hard work and volunteer efforts. "The boat race is not so much about winning " said CCIP founder Elizabeth Kay. "More important, students have tried their best, built friendships, and worked together to accomplish great things."
Students shared their reflections on the experience. "Our teamwork achieved great results," said co-captain Macy Chan from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Macy interns at NYC Assemblywoman Nily Rozic's district office in Queens.
Harry Lam, another co-captain from the University of Hong Kong who interns at New Jersey engineering firm Yu & Associates, joined in: "Dragon boat racing is tougher than it looks! We were all new to it, but its being so hard only made the whole festival more memorable. We started with zero experience and successfully completed the races."
University of Macau student Brian Song interns at GC Eng, an engineering firm in Manhattan, added, "Being a co-captain on the squad really tested my leadership skills. Not only did I have to master the boat and make instructions clear to the team, but I had to work closely with the other captains. It was a challenge, but such a great experience."
The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York (www.hkdbf-ny.org) is one of the largest dragon boat festivals in the US, an annual sporting and multicultural event held every August on Meadow Lake in Flushing. The festival hosts over 120 dragon boat teams from across North America and provides visitors with traditional Chinese performances and delicious food.
This year, the festival celebrated its 28th anniversary with an opening day parade on Saturday, August 11, and the US Dragon Boat Open Championship Race on Sunday, August 12.
Over 20 exchange interns from the Cross Cultural Internship Program (www.theccip.com) participated in the races and the festivities. They wore their team t-shirt featuring the slogan, "We're all in the same boat," -- an expression of how cultural diversity and cooperation can achieve the program's goals.
All CCIP exchange visitors study at top universities in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Macau. They attend an exchange visitor internship program in New York with different host organizations, six of which are US legislators' offices. Cultural activities like the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival bring exchange visitors together with New Yorkers for big events and allow them to experience US culture at a grass-roots level.
The festival kicked off on Saturday with a race team parade and lion dance and ended with a dragon ritual. After the ceremony, a few legislators posed for photos with CCIP racers and booth teams, praising their work and team spirit.
On the water, the interns competed in four of the dragon boat races, including the Saturday Heritage Open 200M, Sunday Educational 200M, Sponsor Challenge 200M, and Media 200M. The paddlers showed their morale and determination in tight competition, inspired by cheers from peers and new friends.
Team captain and student leader Parthiban R, a graduate student from Nanyang Technological University, said, "When my co-coordinators and I were planning this event, we hoped it would bring us together as a community despite our cultural differences. I'm glad that after we shared thoughts with the rest of the students, many of them couldn't wait to participate. I think the race showcased our unity and ability to work towards a greater goal!" The team made a strong showing despite their inexperience. "We had to come together quickly as a team to learn how to work as though we had trained together for years," he added. When he's not steering a dragon boat, Parthiban is an intern at Antonio Peguero Jr., a law firm in NYC.
Back on dry land, other CCIP students volunteered at festival booths for which they had designed cultural activities. They met program visitors, interacted with spectators, set up photo booths, and supported a meaningful Flushing YMCA initiative to promote health awareness and bring in donations.
An intern at First American International Bank, Hong Kong University student Phoebe Guan earned her stripes as a group leader managing the racing team and festival booths. "I am so glad to be part of such huge multicultural event with so many people," she said. "It was a rewarding feeling to work the booth and see every visitor leave with a big smile."
"This activity did more than just bonding us as a group; it allowed us to spread goodwill and gratitude to the larger community," added Aithent intern Jackson Lai, another group leader and booth manager from Hong Kong.
At the festival's end on Sunday, the students had dinner together to celebrate the weekend's collective hard work and volunteer efforts. "The boat race is not so much about winning " said CCIP founder Elizabeth Kay. "More important, students have tried their best, built friendships, and worked together to accomplish great things."
Students shared their reflections on the experience. "Our teamwork achieved great results," said co-captain Macy Chan from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Macy interns at NYC Assemblywoman Nily Rozic's district office in Queens.
Harry Lam, another co-captain from the University of Hong Kong who interns at New Jersey engineering firm Yu & Associates, joined in: "Dragon boat racing is tougher than it looks! We were all new to it, but its being so hard only made the whole festival more memorable. We started with zero experience and successfully completed the races."
University of Macau student Brian Song interns at GC Eng, an engineering firm in Manhattan, added, "Being a co-captain on the squad really tested my leadership skills. Not only did I have to master the boat and make instructions clear to the team, but I had to work closely with the other captains. It was a challenge, but such a great experience."
Copyright (c) 2024 | All rights reserved | FUSIA Communications
