The Next Best Thing to a Dance Party

Despite the fact that we all work for the same organization, purportedly striving towards the same end-goal of Asian-American understanding, no Shansi fellow's experience is alike. Between the sites, the variance is amazing. One example is that the Shansi fellows in Taigu, China, have frequent drunken dance parties with their students, at their campus house. Not only does the formality at UGM absolutely rule this out, but I can't imagine many of my students drinking alcohol, much less drinking with me... at my house [shivers]. I'm all for some boundaries between teachers and students, but in a way I'm also very jealous that the Taigu fellows get to bond with their students and don't need to guard themselves as much as we do.

The lovely Novi in front of all my wonderful apple-peelers!

Looking for a compromise, I suggested to my superior that we ought to hold an American-style "Coffee House" for the students enrolled in my American Cultural Studies class. The students would get a chance to perform some American songs and poetry in an informal setting and participate in an event that resembles something we would have held at Oberlin (Baldwin Coffee Houses were always wonderful). Pak Aris, my boss, also suggested that since the department's guest house has a kitchen, that we cook American 'comfort food'... like apple pie. Free apple pie: an offer the students could not refuse.

After making attendence (and performance) required, I started to get excited. Hosting an event where the students do all the work is terrific, and I decided to just let the coffee house take shape as it went along. The students started filtering in around 6.30pm and were immediately set to work peeling the 8 kilos of Granny Smith apples. Soon enough they self segregated: girls in the kitchen, boys in what had now become the guitar and electronic equipment room. I almost intervened in the spirit of American equality, but when I saw Hendro with the apple peeler--he looked like a caveman discovering a coconut for the first time and trying to open it by hitting it with a stick--I decided it was all for the best.

Moodi and Hendro act out a love song

Nicole helped out by pouring her sweat and sanity into some gorgeous pie crust and it turned out absolutely delicious. While the baked goods were in the oven, the performances commenced with me as the charming MC. These students totally blew my mind... the first group performed Maya Angelou's "Phenomenal Woman" in beautiful spoken word and song, taking me totally by surprise. The other groups chose to go more contemporary, and I even had one performance of "Love the Way you Lie" with my student Dichy tearing it up as Eminem (she dropped the F bomb a couple times, necessarily... it was hilarious). Another group had choreography and props and had convinced two members to act out the love song by holding hands--the audience obviously loved this and was yelling and cat calling--and throwing roses into the audience.

This particular group of students is very close to my heart, because I've taught them since my first semester here at UGM. After so long, it's great to have a chance to interact with them outside of school, which is something that my Taigu co-fellows get to do all the time with their students. And while it was neither a typical Oberlin coffee house (there were no impromptu solos or overly shouting renditions of the Vagina Monologues) or a drunken dance party, it was just about the next best thing.