Clark Diaries

20th Apr, 2009

Open House, Carmen Sandiego, Soul Food and Vesak

Hey EveryoneSo this weekend was Open House weekend at Clark where accepted students came to check out the university and find out more information before they make their final decision. As a tour guide for the admissions office, I was awake at 10 am on Saturday to give tours to prospective students and their families, as well as answer any questions they might have had about student life in general. Friday I had lunch with several prospectives who had questions ranging from why did I come to clark (because the people here are awesome!) to which medical or dental schools I know of that have accepted Clark graduates (Harvard, Yale, Brown and UMass to name a few). International Students Association also attended the Activities fair during open house weekend. This is were all the student clubs on campus have tables set up in the gym to promote their clubs and show prospective students the different types of clubs they can join if they come to clark. With over 90 clubs and counting, almost all possible areas of interest were covered. It is always fun to ask students what they might be interested in and take them directly to the table that runs that club. For example this student was very interested in international relations and the world, and does model UN in high school. She came over to our table and after talking to her for some time, we directed her to our friends at the Model UN table just behind us! She was very thrilled to know Clark had Model UN and that you could make it count for course credit if you take the Model UN based class! Later friday my friends and I took part in a trivia game hosted by the Clark University Geography Association (CUGA) called “where in the world is Carmen Sandiego”. It was a games night based on the television game show in which contestants answer geographic-related questions to track down the where-abouts of Carmen Sandiego. I somehow was in a lucky draw to be one of 12 contestants to play the game. The first question they asked was;If you were looking at a view from the top of Table Mountain, in which African country would you be in? They gave us options of countries, but I had to laugh when they asked this questions because I am spending the Summer in Cape Town, South Africa, seeing some of my friends who are studying abroad their for the semester and visiting my brother who goes to the University of Cape Town. Anyways, the apartment my brother lives is right next to table mountain and you can see the view from it everyday when you wake up. Once I answered the first question correctly (Cape town SA) I was pretty much in the lead and made it to the final! Who knew I know so much geography for a biochemistry major! The last round was a face-off between this guy names Trevor and myself. You’d think he is an expert at geography, the way he knew all answers, and the final round consisting of us locating countries on a map of Africa. Being African you’d think this would be a great advantage. But Trevor was too good for me, he knew the continent of Africa like the back of his hand and ended up wining the Ipod first prize. I came second and won a gift certificate to Fantastic Pizza (which honestly no one can complain because they have the best felafel ever!). but overall it was a fun night of trivia and competition. Saturday was the annual Soul Food dinner night hosted by the Clark Christian Ministry, which is a night of food, praise and community. The food was up to par as per usual and the choir sand for us. As well as some very talented solo performances by several CCM members. Sunday was a very relaxed day and since finals are coming us fast, it was a good time to reflect and re-energize for the upcoming weeks of no sleep and all work. I went to the south asians students association (SASA) first ever Vesak celebrations which Mahayana Buddhists celebrate, mostly in Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Combodia. It “encompasses the birth and passing of Guatama Buddha”. Buddhist monks came to Clark to help us understand the principles of Buddhism, enrich our our spiritual awakenings and meditate. This holiday is meant to celebrate the community, love, peace, virtue and overall well-being of the human mind,body and soul. It was followed by performances by traditional dancers from the Sri Lankan society of New England (SLANE) as well as delicious homemade Sri Lankan food. I’d love to write more about this very fun weekend, as it was filled with so much fun and activity, but sadly my books and bed are feeling neglected and if I do not end here I fear this may be the beginning of a short novel. So till next week!�