Campus Life - Letters from MIT Exploring my Chinese roots By Shin Kuwaki	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
中国人としてのルーツを探る マサチューセッツ工科大学では、世界各国の学生が学んでいます。そのため、キャンパス内の学生団体や学生主催の行事などは、実に国際色豊かです。中国人と日本人の両親を持つ桑木さんは、特に自分の民族的背景については考えたことがありませんでした。しかし、大学に入ってから、それが少し変わってきました。

学生団体 Pangaea が主催した多文化コンサート で、インドネシア音楽を演奏するグループ

Many universities in the United States today stress the significance of cultural diversity. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is no exception and this is demonstrated by the range of active student organizations, multicultural activities and social events available to the MIT community.

As I browsed through a list of "Ethnic / Language / International Groups" at MIT, I was astounded by the variety. Among these were the Romanian Students Association, the Native American Students' Association, the Haitian Alliance and the Sri Lankan Students' Association, to name but a few. Many of these student-organized groups host performances, banquets, concerts and conferences in order to spread their culture to the rest of the campus community.

What I find most impressive is that students from foreign countries often bring with them something that represents their background. These include such tangible items as traditional ceremonial clothing, accessories and instruments, as well as dance, music and cooking skills. Students from Thailand and India performed beautifully and skillfully at their respective cultural shows last year. The Indian show is called Bhangra, and every year their repertoire consists of exotic dances that range from sensuous and delicate to exciting and powerful.

After attending these events, I was motivated to look further into the cultural diversity on campus. I decided to join a group called "Pangaea," a recently established multicultural group at MIT. The group has hosted potluck banquets, movie-runs and conferences in the past to promote multiculturalism on campus. What I find unique about the club is that it is not confined to a single religion or culture; what it wants to promote is discussion and the recognition of diversity.

Recently the group organized a multicultural concert called "Musaic" where different musical groups at MIT came to share their passion for their own culture. There was a Russian flutist who performed a duet with an Asian pianist, a Jewish a cappella group that sang many songs in Hebrew, a group of performers that played Indonesian music, and many other groups. The combination of interracial musical performances and different ethnic cuisines prepared for the occasion - there were Chinese and Italian pastries, as well as Caribbean and Asian food - produced a truly cultural mosaic-like experience for the guests and the performers.

I think MIT is a place where many students, like myself, are given the initial spark of motivation to learn about cultures different to their own. From textbooks and lectures to arts and languages, students are always being exposed to something new. In particular, I feel that language is an effective way to gain insight to a culture.

The Foreign Languages and Literatures Department at MIT offers a vast array of language courses, and in my freshman year, eager to find a means for exploring my Chinese roots, I decided to enroll myself in a Chinese language course designed for complete novices. Each class was entertaining and educational, and the course was careful to deal with aspects of China other than language, such as cuisine, names, characters, customs, expressions and geography.

Now, I am in my fourth semester of Chinese. Before I graduate, I hope to return to China through a study-abroad program offered at MIT. Although I have lived there for one year before, I had at the time a minimal knowledge of Chinese culture and language. Now, with the knowledge that I have acquired, I look forward to a completely different and new experience.

Shukan ST: March 14, 2003

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