Setting the Stage for Lunar New Year Celebrations
Many students who become International Students Ambassadors (ISAs) talk about giving back. They talk about when they first arrived on campus and how an ISA made them feel welcomed and comfortable. They talk about sharing their culture and learning about other cultures.
On Tuesday, January 28, at an all-school meeting, a group of ISAs looked very comfortable in their outfits as they represented the 12 zodiac animals: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig, in that order. As legend has it, a Chinese emperor challenged animals to a race and said that the first 12 to cross the river would have a year of the zodiac named after them. As that story was being told on Tuesday, the ISAs reenacted the race. The legend tells us that the Year of the Rat is first because the rat was on the back of the ox and jumped off onto the river bank first.
The all-school meeting was the jumping-off point for all the Lunar Year celebrations planned on campus in the coming days. There is plenty planned for the Year of the Snake, starting with some special items on the dinner menu all week. Other events:
Friday, January 31: An evening cooking class at 7:30 p.m. with sophomore Alyssa Ji in the new classroom kitchen in the Clark Center for Science & Mathematics, held in conjunction with the Norton Family Center for the Common Good. Alyssa is a Norton Center intern. Learn how to cook sanjeok, which originates from South Korea and is normally eaten as a side dish, and find out about the history of the dish.
Saturday, February 1: An evening celebration, 7:30–10 p.m., in the Scanlan Campus Center. Asian Performing Arts will present a show and workshops in calligraphy, decorative arts, Tai Chi, and dragon dance. Multiple dishes and desserts will be served.
Sunday, February. 2: Chinese dance workshop, 4–5 p.m., in the Athletics Center dance studio, with junior Claire Cen. All experience levels are welcome.