When I went to this event, I was really excited to learn about Greece and Italy. All that I really know about them is that they have good food and gorgeous scenery, but I was really looking forward to learning more about their culture. I even brought a friend with me to the event because he is really into different cultures and languages. I knew that we would both have a great time. Boy was I wrong...
The description of the event said that we would be learning about both cultures and that we would be exposed to their music, dance, food, and other entertainment. When we went into Dewberry Hall, the lights were turned down very low. The music was blasting, along with the DJ, as if we were in a club. I figured that maybe it was just the "introduction" as everyone ate before the activities started. There was a slide-show behind the DJ that had pictures of Greece and Italy and there were also a few articles of clothing spread out on a table. They had pastas, Greek salad, and a few other items that were specifically from those countries. My friend and I each made ourselves plates and sat down at the tables that were spread out. The food was really good and we both went back for more. We sat and talked for a while while we waited for things to start. After about an hour with nothing happening,my friend had to leave for class. I stayed a while longer waiting for something to happen until I finally went up and asked the instructors if anything else was going to be happening besides the music blasting and people sitting around doing nothing. They told me that a few people were going to be performing some music but for the most part it was going to just be that the entire night. I sat back down and continued to wait until the DJ made an announcement talking about how they were going to be turning up and the music and encouraging everyone to come out on the dance floor and dance the night away. I was pretty amazed at hearing that. I had noticed that the event was scheduled for 6 pm - 12 am and of course I thought that that was a pretty long time but never did I think that it was simply a dance party. After the announcement I left because I had another meeting to attend but I planned to come back. When I came back an hour and a half later, the music was blasting even louder, the lights were off but there were colored spot lights on the dance floor, and people were dancing. I could tell from everything that was going on that this was simply a dance party so I left.
I have to say that I was really disappointed with this because I feel as though this club really missed out on a great opportunity to expose their culture to their attendants. Maybe I was the only oblivious one who came expecting to learn something about Greece and Italy, but there were older adults at the event as well who I'd assume were expecting a different experience. I walked away with nothing except some pasta in my stomach. Although at first I was just really upset about the experience, I am happy that this was the even I attended. All semester long I've had great experiences learning about people who did things right and made the most of opportunities that they had, but this time I was able to see a time where the leaders DIDN'T use their time to the fullest. How often do you have a big audience of people in front of you coming to learn about culture- YOUR culture- something that you supposedly take a lot of pride in? All I could think about was how if that were the Chilean women, Anita Hill, Tupac, Martin Luther King, Maya Angelou or any of the other people I've learned about this semester and they had the chance to talk to people about their culture, there is no way that they would just throw a dance party and not take full advantage of educating people on their culture. It really showed me the necessity of everything I've been hearing from my professor and our guest speakers as they've been emphasizing the need to truly DO something. Make a stand- make a change- don't just waste the time and opportunities that I'm given. As much as I learn from the good events, I take a lot more away from the ones that fall short because it really stirs me to make sure that I never squander my chances because you never know when it's the only chance you will have!
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