The Asian Festival is an annual festival that usually organized and facilitated by Asian Studies’ Students and funded by the Asian Social Institute. Its objectives are (a) to provide students a venue to creatively organize socio-cultural based presentations and exhibitions to have deeper understanding on diverse ethnicities and practices, (b) to promote cooperation and participation among culturally and traditionally diverse students; and (c) to provide students a space where they can integrate ecumenical and interfaith, reflection and philosophy, values and ideals in the form of celebration as analogous with that of Fr. Francis Senden’s Philosophy and Approaches in ASI.

The Asian Festival helps the students to creatively and reflectively express their feelings through presentations such as singing, dancing and exhibiting their respective native cultures from their home countries. It is also through the Asian Festival that the students are given a chance to live and reflect on to the ideal world they wanted to live for the moment, a world with no more discrimination to one another, a world with no any form of injustice and prejudices among ethnicities, a world which peacefully working together toward cooperation for just and well-being of individuals, and a world with no more crime, war, and sin, only a world of love and respect for one another and celebration of life’s blessings. Asian Festival is a time to live in ideal and harmonious community, a time to live in values and goals, a time to refresh and reflect on the moment of celebration.

What made me proud and grateful during the activity was on the catwalk of the Asian Studies’ Students wearing their different national and indigenous costumes. It is where every one of us is proud to show our costumes. With the colorful and vibrant dresses, everyone was wearing their full smiles not only to the audience but as well as to their fellow students. These only signify that no matter how we are separated by our borders, we have the same universal facial expression and utmost tied with the same universal values. It was a wonderful, stunning and overwhelming feeling to see such different performances from the students. The songs and dances delivered in through native dialects and rhythms conveyed not only our different cultures but the souls of the native people, their experiences, happiness and hope. The songs, although I didn’t understand, was such a comforting sounds to my ears. It touched my heart and soul to feel the same with the feeling of the performers. It gave me a moment to ponder that they were all my brothers and sisters, delivering such a lovely and meaningful serenade.     

Although the objectives of the activity were reached in either way, some lapses were experienced during the activity; lapses that were considered beneficial depending on how someone will see it. No matter how good and imaginative the students or individuals are, the reality of life is sometimes adverse, the imperfection of life really exists. Comparably, as how we gave our best to make the celebrations great as it should be, we still ended up contrasting as what we have in our imaginations and plans, as we imperfectly performed some shortcomings. Shortcomings in a sense that we gratefully have done creative yet simple decorations, exhibitions, foods and other physical arrangements but we failed to perform excellently as we showcased our various cultural and traditional costumes and presentations. I know it was kind of presentations we indeed need more practice, cooperation and participation. Good thing that most of the audiences were very optimistic as maybe they were thinking that what we have shown was merely part of our creativity. Time and effort indeed constraints in our part as organizer and facilitator, nonetheless, the way I observed the smiles painted in our visitor’s faces, I am pretty sure that we made them happy and reflect as well.   

Moreover, as we were celebrating the 2013 Asian Festival dubbed as “Borderless Asia…Celebrating Diversity” I realized its relevant to me personally as Master in Social Services and Development (MSSD) student as we deal the society, community, family and individuals. I need to learn more on the diverse culture, ethnicity and other dissimilarities and highlight our sameness.  I need to learn more on how the reflections and ideals can be integrated to reality. As the Asian Festival promotes unity among diversity, it’s indeed make difference as we look things upon. The activity was a moment to help us create a borderless Asia, to be united despite of the diversities.

The social implications I have drawn in the Asian Festival experience are the values it has provided me, it gave me a wide range of knowledge to integrate how these diversities become united and forceful if we work together and help each other to work for the common good. And personally, as a master of ceremony, I called it a success whatever others might say about it, because I know I did my best to overcome my apprehensions and fears when it comes to public speaking or speaking in front of the crowd. And that most of us were very helpful and supportive in achieving the aims and aspirations of the activity.  

To sum up, the Asian Festival was socially and spiritually-motivating, reflection-oriented, and enjoyable as a whole.