Latin Fun Fiesta at the Library

By Rosemary Hernandez

ORLANDO, Fla.-Orange County public library and their volunteers hosted a Latin Fun Fiesta this Saturday Sep 20 at the North Orange Branch.

The Fiesta was intended for the entire family but especially for kids ages 6 – 12.

Organizer Maria Oyarzabal and Volunteer Vielka Gonzales came up with the idea since it is Hispanic Heritage month.

“Our culture makes up who we are, and our kids need to know where they come from ” said Maria Oyarzabal when asked about the motivation for the event.

Oyarzabal who’s a retired kindergarten teacher from Venezuela read stories for the kids including popular tales like Maya and Miguel in spanglish.

She also did a short tour through South and Central America where she showed pictures and talked about the different countries.

Oyarzabal and Gonzales ran the event with volunteers from the ESOL program at Apopka High School.

Besides stories they also had games, food and artcrafts for everyone including the parents.

"The enviroment was very pleasant and kids seemed to love it" commented Ashley Lopez, a senior from Apopka High school.

“I see how sometimes what I eat is diferent from other kids in school and now I know is because we all have different cultures” Said 9 year old Anthony Ramos who heard from the Fiesta in his ESOL class and ask his parents to bring him.

“ He came home Friday asking us to bring him today, and honestly it was great, I mean living here sometimes our culture gets lost and they did a great job reminding us where we came from” commented Anthony’s mom Gabriela Ramos.

The community seemed very pleased with the event and they just hope events like this keep happening more often to enrich their kids education.

"In a world like the one we live today our kids need to be literate and occupied getting involved with learning activities is great and keeps them away from the distractions on the street” Vielka Gonzales.