"Danse Russe"

I fell behind on my blogs about the readings, so I thought I’d revisit a poem that we read earlier in the summer.  “Danse Russe” by William Carlos Williams will be an experience that I will never forget.  The first time we read the poem, I noticed many people with expressions revealing that they thought him crazy.  Silly.  As for my own reaction, I couldn’t help but feel a heavy sadness for the man. 

At first, I did not thinking that his wild antics in front of the mirror took place in his head.  I thought it was his rebellion—his room to escape the confines of society and his role in it.  When I realized that it was all taking place in his head, I became even more disheartened.  How alone must this man be?

A few weekends ago, I was talking to my father about my writing.  Suddenly, I remembered “Danse Russe,” because it reminded me of him.  As his eyes scanned the computer screen, he grew quiet. 

“Isn’t he like you?” I asked.

My dad grew uncomfortable.  “But I’m not lonely like him.  Although I could definitely see myself doing that in front of the mirror.”

Despite his attempt at humor, I could tell the poem struck a nerve.  Since then, I’ve wondered how many other fathers feel that overwhelming sense of isolation and burden, whether they admit it or not.

I have become so fond of “Danse Russe” that I decided to include it in my group’s final presentation.  When I read stories and poems, my mind forms specific images.  I chose to draw the image I saw when reading “Danse Russe.”  Translating the poem into art was an interesting experience.  I think that may be a good way to engage students with literature even further.  

International Experience - 2

My second international experience is with my good friend Anh, who is from Vietnam.  Unlike Anannya, she had extremely little exposure to American culture, but her grandfather did teach her English at a young age.

I met her the first day of Freshman year, although we had already communicated online.  She was wide-eyed and anxious, having to adjust to a completely different country.  It’s still sometimes hard for me to imagine her growing up under a communist regime. 

Her pronunciation of words was sometimes off, so I would help her where needed.  Her English is quite good despite that.  However, the cultural references are sometimes lost on her.  Once, I told her to “spill the beans,” and she looked at me like I was insane!

Anh had the opportunity to meet my grandmother, who is Japanese and grew up in pre-WWII Japan, and they immediately felt a connection.  My grandma could see that she had been raised in the traditional way; Anh was close to her grandparents as well.  Seeing the two cultures come together at that moment was amazing.

Having two close international friends has probably been the best experience of college so far.  Learning about other cultures, and seeing proof that there actually is life outside of Texas has confirmed my desire to one day travel the world.  

International Experience - 1

My new partner eventually stopped meeting with me, which put me out of luck in terms of blog posts.  However, I thought I’d write about my experience of having two good friends at TCU who are from different countries.

My best friend and roommate, Anannya, is from India.  She grew up in Bombay and moved to Dheli when she was older.  I met her the first or second week of our Freshman year, and I immediately became interested in Indian culture.  The first time we had a movie night, she brought a bag of “Bhelpuri” with her—a spicy, grainy Indian snack.  I had never experienced such a wonderful combination of spices in my life, and I manhandled the bag from her, gulping down the rest.

All of Freshman year, we spent nearly every day together.  We would often go on long walks late at night, and she would tell me about the caste system, Indian traditions, food, and her experiences of going to boarding school.  I found the boarding school conversations extremely interesting.  Because of the British occupation of India, their influence remained.  Their boarding school was structured in the same way one in England might be. 

We began talking about me visiting India someday, but now I’m taking that dream much more seriously.  Already, I’m saving up money to go with her.  I would have places to stay, plenty of food to eat, and a raw cultural experience with my own tour guide. 

We communicated all summer with Facebook and Skype, and this year, we are roommates.  Since we live together now, I have been able to observe even more cultural differences, as well as similarities.  Recently, she became horrified when she learned that Americans spelled “fetus” without an “o.”  Aside from small details like that, and a lack of knowledge about the intricacies of American politics and history, Anannya is American to the core.  Growing up in India, she experienced American and British TV fully.  As a result, she understands a lot of cultural references.  She has even perfected a fake American accent, so most people here don’t know that she’s foreign!