December 1993
East- Wind
Page 11
'
Love Boat continued
developed an appreciation for the Chinese and Chinese-American
culture, she added that seeing Taiwan also made her appreciate the
United States more.
Li said the exposure to the Taiwanese culture was invaluable for
him because it changed his perspective on Taiwan and on being
Chinese.
'T had never seen all those places before," he said. "The food
was great, and all the culture — we even got to see a Chinese opera,
which was something I had never seen before. We went to the Marine
base and saw the Chinese drill team. That made me proud to see how
organized they were, how much they're trying and how they're not
just some third world country out there.
"When I came back, I was proud to be Chinese."
Overall, past participants have highly recommended attending
the program. But the program is what you make of it. “If you go [to
find] a boyfriend or girlfriend, then it is a meat market," Hannah Lee
said. "If you go to learn about your heritage and you want to meet
people, the locals, then it is a more fruitful and worthwhile
experience.”
"It's as much of a meat market as it is here, except there are
more Asians," said David Lee, when asked if the Love boat was as
much a meat market as proclaimed.
Hannah Lee went with the goal of learning the Chinese
language and said she accomplished this. "I took the initiative to
experience [what] a Taiwanese college student experiences— we
shared about ourselves and I improved my Chinese," she said. She
also says that it was good for her Taiwanese counselors to practice
English.
Not all people are that motivated, however. Cheng said she
didn't learn Chinese from the program, even though she intended to.
Not all people go on the Love boat with a clear goal, either. "I
had nothing better to do, and my mom signed me up," Chen said.
Most people return with an altered perspective of Taiwanese
people and their culture, as well as a new view of Chinese-Americans
or Chinese in other foreign countries. They return declaring the Love
Boat to be, if not the best experience of their life, at least a worthwhile
one.
Li said the program changes people's outlook on life and
influences their direction in life.
"We're at an age where people are wondering where to go," he
said. "You sit around and exchange ideas. It's a good program."
If you are interested in attending the Study Tour, write to:
Service Division; Coordination Council for North American Affairs;
1074 Stockton Street; San Francisco, CA 94108, regarding the
Overseas Chinese Youth Language Training and Study Tour. Appli
cations are due around February, but early application is encouraged.
Journey continued
Some of the dances were peaceful and calm. Others were
energetic and flamboyant.
Sophomore pharmacy major Youa Lee said that she liked the
flute dance the best because it was so peaceful. The flute was played
in part of a Chinese folk dance presented by dancers from Duke
University.
“[It was like being] in another world,” Lee said.
One dance that was more lively was the festive “Bhangra”
Indian dance. Particularly interesting in this dance were the feet
movements of the men and the hip movements of the women.
Colorful jingling scarves worn by the women and jubilant calls by the
men also enhanced the music and overall rhythm.
The evening concluded with goodbyes in the different Asian
languages.
Most said that they left with more insight into the great diversity
of the Asian cultures in their Journey Into Asia.
Nguyen Thao Ly, Tra Diem Thi, Nguyen Tuyet Van, Nguyen
Quynh-Nhu, Tran My Duyen, and Nguyen Hanh Dung circled
elegantly in a Vietnamese dance to the song “Saigon^
.ff
Vicki Cheng contributed to this story.
“(Journey Into
Asia) is a celebration
of Asian culture in a
way that^s not
controversial,^* says
junior Shirley Liu,
coordinator of the
celebration, “You
have to play into
stereotypes to get
people to come. From
there, other programs
can explain the
stereotypes,**
Bhangra!
SANGAM dancers leap to the festive rhythm of Bhangra,
a dance which is traditionally celebrated during the harvest season.