Clark Diaries

17th Nov, 2008

Mid November activities

Hi everybody,

It was an early morning to get back from Boston in time for Existentialism class at 10. More on that in a bit.

I did a lot of watching this week. Two speeches, 2 concerts, 2 movies and 1 play to be exact. The chronology of it all past my memory, so I’ll just tell you what I did. Piece it all together in any order you’d like.

One night this week was the monthly Flavors of the World night, this time American cuisine was in the spotlight, including Philly Cheese Steaks, Fried Chicken, Soft Pretzels, Fried Dough and more! Not healthy, but delicious. There were music and dance performances too. A nice collaboration between the International Student Association and Dining Services. One of my friends gave a talk on her experience working in a health clinic in Guatemala over the summer, so it was cool to hear what she did. Many Clark students do unique work during the off-season, but it was nice to hear some details. I also went to hear a Secular Humanist Rabbi speak. He illuminated a branch of Judaism I didn’t know anything about. On Tuesday night, I went to see a play called The Key in Atwood Hall. It was about depression and suicide, and involved one actor, a recent Clark graduate. The play is meant to give audiences a look into what goes through someone’s head when they’re contemplating suicide and suffering from depression.

On Friday night, I watched two films on different ends of the spectrum: Invisible Children and Mamma Mia. Clark is starting a chapter of Invisible Children, a student initiative which will raise funds and collect donations for schools in Northern Uganda. This was their launch event. The documentary was eye opening to say the least. After such a serious viewing, I played pool with some friends and watched Mamma Mia in the Dining Hall. The ABBA musical was a total 180 from Invisible Children, but still worthwhile. There was pizza being served as part of the weekly Free Food Friday activity.

On Saturday I watched a soccer game downtown, then participated in the Residence Hall Association Field Day. Unfortunately it was raining, so the event was moved inside, but it was still fun to play games like Red Light/Green Light and meet some people from other Halls. After Field Day, I went to a Pilates class. Never having taken a class before, I went in blind, having no idea what to expect. It was definitely tough, but it felt good to try something new. The group that organized it had refreshments after, so that’s always awesome. At night, I saw a Grateful Dead tribute band called Fennario at a place called Spiritual Haze, which is located just off campus on Park Ave. They sounded pretty authentic and played very well, hopefully they’ll come back soon.

Sunday was a great day. I took the bus to Boston with a couple friends, then went to hang out with my brother for the day. We rode bikes around the city and cooked steak for dinner. At night, I met up with a friend from home and the Clarkies to go see Michael Franti & Spearhead at the Orpheum Theater. They always put on a great show and leave songs stuck in my head for weeks. This time, they were promoting their new album and had a Jamaican singer, Cherine Anderson, with them for a few songs. Overall, terrific, can’t wait to see them again.