A Wonderful Start To the Holidays

AISG celebrated yet another successful holiday bazaar with lights, decorations, games, food, and a very intriguing lucky draw. Those who came to the holiday bazaar were happy by the energetic and enthusiastic atmosphere. Not only did people enjoy the holiday bazaar, but numerous student groups were able to raise money for good causes. In addition to the activities at the holiday bazaar, several new restaurants in Guangzhou were able to provide some appetizing food for the attendees.

Over the years, the attendees for the holiday bazaar have continued to grow in number; this year there was around 1000 to 1200 people. Several of the PTA members think the number of attendees at the bazaar will soon outgrow the campus’ space. Several of the people who attended the bazaar were amazed by the large variety of food vendors and the captivating lucky draw. Many of the people could be seen swarming around the food vendors waiting to taste the exotic foods. Many of the food vendors were waiting to introduce themselves to the public. This was a great opportunity for several of the new restaurants to gain customers, and for several of the holiday bazaar guests to find a new place to eat. Others who attended the holiday bazaar were amazed by the other vendors selling various goods, such as clothing, electronics and more. The bazaar’s lucky draw also attracted several people since the prizes, like an iPhone 7, were very appealing.

Besides the fun and festive mood of the holiday bazaar, several community services also benefitted because they were able to raise a substantial amount of money for their generous cause. During the holiday bazaar, most community service groups were able to earn between 800 and 2000 RMB. Migrant Link and Habitat for Humanity plan to directly donate the money to their cause. Migrant Link plans to invest in books and computers for students in the village Kaiping, and Habitat for Humanity plans to invest their money in setting up building projects for those living in rural china. Other community service groups plan to save the money they earned for other events. Some community service groups believed that they could have earned more money if they had more space to set up their booth and if there was less competition with other vendors. However, these groups were still able to raise awareness for their cause, as a sizable amount of people became aware of what the community service groups do.

The holiday bazaar was a great way to transition into the holidays. Many students were glad to feel exempt from the burden of final exams. Senior Ruth Zou stated, “The holiday bazaar, compared to other bazaars, provided various and different activities and goods. There were other vendors, which not only sold food, but clothing and other goods.” AISG’s holiday bazaar had a unique characteristic and was able to provide a variety of activities and goods. Additionally, it was a fun start to the holiday season.