Internationally Yours

RV3's right. I shouldn't blog about Top Model anymore since nobody's watching it, apparently. And he knows what I think because we talk immediately after the show. At least when I blog about controversial religious sentiments I get a rise out of you people! Maybe I'm meant to be a preacher or something, haha.

Actually, I did have a fun time yesterday at the Anthropology Department party I went to with Ariel and Regina. Even though the college is only a junior college, they had great food and educational entertainment. Usually the professional performers are a little more exotic than what I saw last night but even though I can see them on a regular basis if I want to, mariachis were cool anyway. After all, I don't actually see them regularly. Also, even though I'm not a Mexican, their songs still reminded me of my great aunt because she often sang them while washing the dishes. I even got teary-eyed during La Malageña.

At one point, a student who was decked out in folcloric Mexican dress got up to sing with them as she sings that style well. She also tried to pull Ariel to dance but he let shyness get the best of him! Too bad, she was pretty.

Other entertainment (non-professional but students) included a girl dancing Flamenco, a girl who did some Japanase dance (from Okinawa), and two East Indian girls who did a lovely dance in which they twirled and twirled. I later found out the dance is about a girl whose lover has gone to the army and she hears he's coming back so she is rejoicing. That's what one of the dancers told me.

There was a somber presentation by a young Native American who played a ceremonial drum while chanting (he asked that no one film or take his picture during this sacred song) and he read from a book by Black Elk about the massacre of his people at Wounded Knee.

Door prizes were being given out all night and since the three of us stayed for the whole thing, we each got a prize. Most of the prizes were books but they also had items like the leather pouch Regina chose. Ariel and I got chose books. (When Regina finally won there weren't lots of good books left.)

The BEST part, though, was the free food! It was a buffet of ethnically diverse dishes. I had one of everything. I had dumplings, sushi, Chinese pizza, Mexican dip and beans and pork, a purple potato salad from Scotland, and other goodies. I got this delicious punch from Tonga that tasted like coconut.

Speaking of Tonga, that punch must have been brought by a very tall young man (he plays football, he said) from the island who gave us a brief history lesson about his homeland. It was funny, informative and cute. He was cute! He talked about Tonga being "very Christian" and also mentioned their former cannibalism. He even read poetry.

I took home a Pulitzer-prize winning book, a small piñata, and a very full stomach. But mostly I took home some newfound knowledge which left me hungry for more. Thanks, Ariel!