International Day Nepal - Sakena Prep

Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Qatar) launched its fall season of educational enrichment events this Thursday, October 22, with International Day Nepal. Twenty-seven students from grades seven through nine and three teachers from Sakena Preparatory Independent School for Girls attended the Nepali-themed event hosted at SFS-Qatar’s Education City campus.

“It’s such a pleasure to have independent school students here at Georgetown. They bring great energy into this place and some perspective as to why we’re here – they are Doha’s future leaders. It’s fundamental to SFS-Qatar’s outreach efforts to creatively engage preparatory and secondary school-aged students in international studies,” said SFS-Qatar Program Assistant, Melissa Meyers.

Throughout day, the students from Sakena were encouraged to explore the country of Nepal through a variety of interactive activities from simulations to games to creative writing. In the classroom, students participated in geography exercises and practiced common Nepalese phrases.

Colorful prayer flags, as are often found strung along mountain ridges and peaks high in the Himalayas to bless the surrounding countryside, were brought in for students to examine. Students used white scraps of fabric and magic markers to create their own prayer flags – containing wishes like “travel the world” and “peace in Iran.”

A Nepali feast welcomed the students back from a short scavenger hunt across Georgetown’s campus. Tandoori chicken dumplings and samosas topped off with the national sweet treat, Wo or sugar-coated lentil doughnuts, were among the array of finger foods prepared for the event by local caterer Gill Johnsen.

The girls went through bottle after bottle of glitter in the concluding lesson, in which they explored the ancient Tibetan tradition of sand mandalas while creating their own.

“The students really had a great time. I think it was good for them to explore a new country, and the exercises were very motivating and interesting for them. We look forward to getting involved in future Georgetown events!” said Sakena Preparatory School for Girls English Coordinator, Ingy Saleh.

International Day Nepal was one in a series of year-round outreach events held at SFS-Qatar. Each month, SFS-Qatar holds a different International Day event, focusing on a specific country. The day-long events, under the Planet Georgetown program, seek to instill a sense of excitement and interest in geography, writing, and international relations.