By Kelly Kim
Staff Writer
The Department of World Languages and Cultures Department hosted a series of events in October to promote and enjoy the different cultural aspects that it has to offer.
In support of my friend who takes Chinese classes, I decided to go to the events because I was also curious about what a calligraphy class would entail.
When it comes to calligraphy, the only history and knowledge I have with it is trying to practice my cursive calligraphy back in middle school. I was obsessed with the Tom Brow brushes and Zebra Mildliners that everyone on Pinterest would use, but was only able to recreate works in a mediocre form.
Chinese calligraphy was a step above my comfort zone with penmanship, therefore it encouraged me when I saw how well I could actually do it. We utilized different sized brushes, a special mixture made from a specific black powder and water to activate the substance to become the ink we would use. I quickly realized just how difficult calligraphy would be when we were given a tutorial on how to write the Chinese character for “love.”
With multiple steps to follow, each swipe is written meticulously and specifically, requiring a certain amount of pressure to be used in order to get the right sized strokes.
While Celia Liu, the academic director of Chinese studies, executed the character with ease, I did my best to make mine somewhat legible enough to impress someone who wouldn't know what they were doing, but also garner some sort of acknowledgement and pity from someone who would know better.
I also decided to attend the mochi and boba making class that was hosted by the same department the week after the calligraphy class. We got to make mochi from scratch using simple ingredients and a microwave. When we made boba, we got to pick from three different teas and a complimenting choice of toppings, including strawberry and mango popping boba.
I really liked the mochi making activity, mostly because I had never made mochi from scratch. I had never known that all it took were some basic ingredients used in baking and a microwave.
At first I thought the mochi taste would be off just because of how simple the process seemed, but after we stuffed the mochi with different fillings, like black sesame, it enhanced the flavor and pleasantly surprised me.
The activities had large turnouts, giving people the chance to converse with one another. I enjoyed seeing different groups of people being brought together by a shared interest and commonality.
I didn't know what to expect from these activities, nor did I really have any established expectations. However, maybe that worked out in my favor as I allowed the experience to unfold in its own way and let it be whatever it was going to be.
The activities were informative and interesting and I appreciated not only how much effort, time and planning went into these activities, but also the amount of care the professors had for both the educational aspect of the activities as well as for the students’ wellbeing.
While students have a busy schedule they must adhere to, being able to take a couple hours from your day to attend such events can be a beneficial form of destressing, but also to open one up to more perspectives and ideas, such as that of calligraphy or food. It’s also a perfect way to interact and meet new people that you would have otherwise never met. Events like these bring different people together, allowing one the opportunity to seek out new friendships as well as experiences.
