Adventures in Austria: Bollywood Night!

One of the perks of teaching at an international school is being able to learn about hundreds of different cultures around the world. My knowledge of geography has definitely increased :). A fellow teacher calculated that the students that attend our school represent about 1/4 of the world's nations. It is amazing to see so many different cultures interact and develop strong friendships. Some of these friendships stem from countries that do not necessarily get along. In addition, when we hear about the famines in Somalia, the torture of the untouchables in India and the typhoons in the Philippines it really hits home to many of our students and these terrible events are made very real. Many of our students have left their home countries to escape famines, difficult living conditions due to government restrictions, persecutions and even torture. Many of these students experience more pain and loss in one year than some of us will every experience in a lifetime.

ICSV has created such a warm and welcoming environment for these students. In addition, there are many outside events that the school puts on in order to allow the students to feel more welcome. This past Friday night the seniors put on a Bollywood event! Many of our Indian students wore their sari's and cooked us delicious Indian food. There were even 3 students painting Henna tattoos on people. It was a real neat event! I got to see many of my students outside the classroom and even deepen some friendships with them. I am learning that sharing the love of Jesus Christ is so much about building relationships with people. It's so important to build a trust and close bond in order to go deep with people. Many of these students have deep pain and it can take years to break down those walls. Thankfully we serve a patient and loving God who can break down any walls!

See some pictures below of the Bollywood night!

Welcome to Bollywood!