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The Emerson Globe Fall 2014
- 1. EDITOR: Pascale Sylla/ OISA Junior Coordinator CONTRIBUTORS: Linzi Zhou, Art Parnitudom, Zhuojun Cui Inside this issue 2 Notices, Important Info 4 Jasmine, Feeling “Different”, Poetry 6 Writing Opportunities 8 Events, flyers Office of International Student Affairs 120 Boylston Street, Walker 10th Floor Boston, MA 02116 Tel: (617) 824-7858 All photography by Renos Gavris FALL 2014 VOL. 16 ISSUE 1 The Emerson Globe
- 2. Message from the Deanof Students Emerson College takes the safety and well-being of its students very seriously. To ensure that we know who to contact in the event of a personal emergency, the Col- lege requires each student to provide us with 2 emergen- cy contacts and 1 missing person contact. One of the emergency contacts also can serve as a student’s missing person contact. Please take a few minutes to visit http:// ecommon.emerson.edu/ and complete the necessary emergency and missing person contact information or update what is already there. Thank you for your assis- tance and cooperation. Emerson utilizes a state-of-the-art Emergency Notifi- cation System to communicate with students, faculty and staff in the event that an emergency occurs on the Boston campus or for a weather event that disrupts nor- mal operations. It is a robust system that simultaneously transmits messages by telephone, email and SMS (text messaging). Please visit ecampus.emerson.edu/emer- gency_contacts and submit your contact information so you can be notified in the event of a community emer- gency. Thank you for your assistance and cooperation. NOTICES The OISA is your first stop for getting your I-20 signed. Every 6 months. International Student Affairs: Virga Mohsini Susannah Marcucci 120 Boylston Street. 10th Floor (617) 824-7858 Be sure to plan ahead. Documents will be signed and ready for pick-up within two business days of receipt, Monday-Friday, excluding holidays. If OISA is not available the following administrators are also authorized to sign I-20s: International Study & External Programs David Griffin 120 Boylston St. 10th Floor x 8567 Professional Studies Alfonso Ragone 148 Boylston St. x 8278 Writing & Academic Resource Center (WARC) Linda Miller 216 Tremont St. 5th Floor x 7874 ONLY IN CASES OF EMERGENCY AND IF ABOVE CONTACTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE, SEE BELOW: Graduate Admission Sandra Orlowski 120 Boylston St. x 3113 Undergraduate Admission Camille Bouknight 120 Boylston St. x 8469 Susan Pottenger 120 Boylston St. x 8600 Hours and staff availability may vary Emergency Contact Information (personal emergency) Emergency Notification System (campus emergency) Need your I-20 Signed for Travel? 2 Ronald Ludman Dean of Students
- 3. 3 IT IS VERYIMPORTANT THAT INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS LET OISA KNOW OF ANY CHANGES IN ADDRESS. THE U.S. GOVERNMENT REQUIRES THAT YOU UPDATE THIS INFORMATION WITHIN TEN DAYS OF YOUR MOVE. PLEASE ALSO NOTIFY THE COLLEGE OF YOUR CHANGE ONLINE AT https://ecommon.emerson.edu OPT and Travel Students traveling outside the U.S. may face re-entry restrictions during post completion OPT periods. If you plan to travel during that time, please contact us to discuss your travel plans and immigration requirements BEFORE you purchase your flight tickets. OPT and CPT workshops are being offered at the OISA most weeks throughout the semester. Advance booking required. Call (617) 824-7858 to sign up. OPT workshops are Tuesdays 1:00pm – 2:00pm and Fridays 2:00pm-3:00pm CPT workshops are Tuesdays 2:00pm–2:30pm and Fridays 3:00pm-3:15pm Plan Ahead for OPT & CPT Going Somewhere? Moved recently?
- 4. Linzi Zhou, UG‘17 China Communication Studies 4 There are many jasmine trees in front of my house. In the jasmine season, my grandmother gets up early every morning and picks some jasmine from those trees and puts them on the balcony in the sun. The peaceful and beautiful scent fills the whole room at first, and the flowers become dry from the sunlight. I often help my grandmother gather dried flowers and put them into a big glass bottle. I once made a set of jasmine bookmarks. My grandmother loves jasmine very much. I always can smell a fragrance of jasmine flowers from her body. She never wears perfume, so I do not know where this smell comes from, but it always comforts and calms me. My grandmother told me once that she likes jasmine not because of its stunning beauty, but because it gives off elegance and fragrance. It is just like my grandmother: she was an elegant woman in the past and a gentle old lady now. My grandfather loves drinking jasmine tea. When he puts jasmine in his cup, the tea suddenly becomes very natural and clear. The bitterness of the tea is diluted by the jasmine flavor. The aroma fills the mouth allow- ing for an excellent balance with the flavor of the tea. “Feeling different”: It’s OverratedZhuojun Cui, GR ‘16 China Writing, Literature and Publishing When I was fifteen years old I wrote a list of goals in my diary, things that I wanted to achieve before turning twenty-five: speak a second foreign language, complete writing a novel and live in the most beautiful, exciting country on earth - France. Year after year, I've accomplished all these things. I took classes in French. I finally finished my masterpiece. And it was my second year in France, where I went to business school and had an internship. All my childhood dreams were checked off. I should feel pretty good about myself, right? Except that I didn't. I did not feel great. I mean, Paris offered me everything I wanted: an incredible art atmo- sphere, dreamy architecture, wonderful cuisine and the most fashionable lifestyle ever. Yet I just didn't feel that excited. I lived ten minutes to Notre-dame de Paris and the Musée du Louvre. But after about three visits, they became nothing more than just another church and museum around the corner. The brilliantly designed streets were filled with cigarette butts and mice. Cheese and mont-blanc dessert, however delicious they were, made me fat. And quite frankly, the finest wine from a good year tasted like cough syrup. I was in Hemmingway's moveable feast but found myself completely deprived of bon appétit. So I packed up and left. I was so convinced that what I sought would be somewhere else. I just had to come up with where to go next. It didn’t take me very long to figure out the perfect destination. Growing up, I read Margaret Mitchell, Toni Morrison, F. Scott Fitzgerald, then Stephen King, James Patterson, and Jodi Picoult. I watch more Hollywood movies than any other Chinese girl my age. Seriously, the DVD storeowner knew my cat’s name. I sing Defying Gravity in the shower until my sister threatens to strangle me. It just felt right that I should come live in America, the country that brought Gone with the Wind, Titanic, Boston Legal, rap music, Steak & Cheese, and, well, Bradley Cooper to the world. Jasmine “Feeling Different” cont’d on p7 “Jasmine” cont’d on p7
- 5. 5 Art Parnitudom, UG‘17 Bangkok, Thailand Film Production Plastered in our walls are the marks of fragility Collections and recollections of faults and hurt that aggravate into scars that persist through time. Not imperfections nor blemishes nor anything tangible But rather deep-pitted marks that never dissipate. Like our bulging insides where stars and galaxies collide The incomprehensible matter of non-existence that fleets to exist, Yet governs our very entire being; All in one spontaneous spur of connection, erupts. We muster together fragments in our frail vulnerability. Lost, yet seemingly masked in strength; She smiles back as I'm frozen in my paces All the while my demons come out to play. Plasters We should wander and get lost. Not so we can discover new places, but so we can find ourelves in the silence of one another. We should make rash decisions and stupid mistakes. Not to be rebels but because we'll never be as young as we are now. We should write and paint and draw because the mere expression of words aren't capable enough to capture the feelings we have. We should smile more. Not so I can let you know how i feel but because the way you look at me makes it impossible for me to do anything else. We should live, because the present is here and nothing can ever bring it back. I want to take you to the edge of the sea where the waves crash and the spirits are free; I want to bring you to the crevice of clouds where our darkest secrets are hidden. The things we should do are vast and endless but, I wouldn't have it any other way than with you. Things We Should Do
- 6. 6 Are you aninternational graduate student interested in advancing your study of writing? Do you frequently use the Writing and Aca- demic Resource Center (WARC) for assistance with your course work and writing projects? Are you looking for other students who you can work with to develop a network for writing support? The WARC is pleased to introduce a new pilot program for interna- tional graduate students who are looking for additional writing support outside the classroom. Our International Student Writing Networks are an opportunity for you to attend weekly writing sessions with a group of peers who are also interested in expanding and developing their knowledge of writing. These groups will focus on topics of your choos- ing, and may include working on thesis statements, paragraph develop- ment, finding and using evidence and sources, unity and coherence, and better understanding of the syntax expected in formal academic writing styles. Each session will be guided by an experienced writing tutor who will also serve as a resource for knowledge and understanding. If you are interested in this exciting opportunity, please attend our first session on Friday, October 24th at 2:30pm in the WARC. We will explain the program and break into groups to plan for the rest of the semester. Requirements: No prerequisites! The WARC asks that you commit to a weekly, hour-long group meeting for the remainder of the semester. You will be asked to share your works in progress on a weekly basis. Any questions? Feel free to email: Writing Center Coordinator: Beth Parfitt elizabeth_parfitt@emerson.edu Communication Studies Lecturer: Jeremy Heflin jeremy_heflin@emerson.edu WHEN: Friday, October 24th at 2:30pm WHERE: Writing and Academic Resource Center (WARC), 5th Floor, 216 Tremont Street For International Graduate Students
- 7. Not All ChineseKnow Kung Fu “Feeling Different” cont’d from p4 Jasmine as Unity, Harmony, and Wealth 7 Jasmine is a symbol of the long-lasting pure love of my grandparents. Jasmine does not have a strong aroma. It has a delicate fragrance that lasts. There is no indelible story or resounding love between my grand- parents, but there is an amazing deep love that is nourished in daily life and becomes deeper as time goes by. Jasmine does not flower for elegance or boldness; it reflects a simple joy of life. My grandmother told me jasmine has become a part of her. I could not understand it when I was young, but now I realize that when my grandmother talks about jasmine with me, she is actually passing a spirit to me at the same time. She wants to me to remember that wherever I go, my root is always in China, in the home- town, in my family. This reminds me of a lyric from a Chinese song: “I don’t know where is my house, where is my root, where is my town.” I am glad that my grandmother always mentions to me where I truly belong. In traditional Chinese culture, jasmine represents unity, harmony and wealth. It is also the second national flower of China. Moreover, a famous Chinese folk songs “Jasmine Flower”, which is regarded as the typical Qupai of the popular tunes of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, not only receives love from the Chinese people, but has also spread around the world. I believe “Jasmine Flower” was the song that my grandmother always sang to me when I was young. Jasmine is the symbol of my Chinese background. I have studied in America for four years. Even though the environment here is impressive, the feeling of homesickness never stops. But the moment I see a jasmine or hear “Jasmine Flower” in America, I am totally moved, feeling like I have returned to my hometown and met my grandmother. I was certain that Boston wouldn't fail me. On the flight here, I pictured myself walking down the street talking ‘slang’, hanging out with my friends at a bar, and drinking cosmos. Then out of nowhere, a hot cowboy would appear on a horse, with a guitar in hand singing beautiful country songs, his sapphire eyes melting all sorrows away. By night, a vigilante in mask would fly out and save a little girl from the house on fire. But of course I didn't get any of those things. Once again, I stepped out of plane, breathed in and out the supposedly brand-new air, and did not feel different. I was shocked by how much Americans are just like people from everywhere else. So I thought, well if neither Paris nor Boston can satisfy me, there must surely be some- thing wrong with me. It wasn’t until one day when a guy from school said to me, "Hey, you're from China, so do you do Kung Fu?" that it hit me. I laughed and responded, "No I don't. The fact that every Chinese movie you see is about Kung Fu doesn't mean we're like that in real life." That's when I figured it out. See, when you are an outsider, you get all kinds of notions on how people in other countries are “different” and the way immersing yourself in their culture will make you, in turn, feel “dif- ferent”. There are so many things like movies, sitcoms or even postcards to prove this point. But those things aren't real life. In real life, the French don't sit by the Seine river day after day, admiring the winding beauty. They go to work instead. In real life, Americans don't hang out at a coffeehouse and hit on cute girls all day, they have jobs and struggle to make life better. I never saw a man in his underwear fly to another’s rescue, just a good amount of ordinary people, minus the super power, try to contribute as much as they can. And of course, not all Chinese do Kung Fu. We are just as amazed as others are when Jackie Chan does kick-ass moves. Finally, I'm relieved. I don't need to feel "different" any more. We are all linked to the earth by gravity. No matter which country you come from, sunrise means to get up, go out and work hard for your dream. In a way, we are all the same, and that's actually kind of cool. “Jasmine” cont’d from p4
- 8. Follow Us Web: emerson.edu/brightlights Facebook:/BrightLightsEmerson Twitter: @BrightLightFilm Instagram: BrightLightsEmerson bright lights film series Every Tuesday and Thursday at 7:00 pm during the semester All screenings are free and open to the public. International Coffee Hour Friday, November 14th | 12:30pm - 2:00pm Common Ground | Walker Building | 120 Boylston St, 10th Floor Coffee and Conversation: Solutions for Life in America Friday, November 21st | 2:30pm - 3:30pm Common Ground | Walker Building | 120 Boylston St, 10th Floor International Holiday Party Friday, December 5th | 12:00pm - 2:00pm Common Ground | Walker Building | 120 Boylston St, 10th Floor The Office of International Student Affairs invites you to the annual InternationalThanksgivingLuncheon • A traditional Thanksgiving meal will be served • Friday, November 7th , 12-2pm The Cabaret, Little Building 80 Boylston St, Lower Level Please RSVP by Friday, October 31st Susannah_Marcucci@emerson.edu 617-824-7858 Looking for Something to Do?