Eureka

One of the courses I’m taking this semester is TCCA 335: Nonverbal Communication with Professor Jackson Miller. Just from the title, you can guess that it’s a “get-up-out-of-your-chair-and-make-hand-gestures” kind of class (it sort of is, but there is more to it then just emblems, AKA gestures that convey a direct meaning).

Over the past 11 weeks, we’ve been learning about the different channels of nonverbal communication, such as the face, the eyes, bodily movements, proxemics (personal space), and voice. Using all the knowledge we’ve accumulated, this week we presented group image management consultations to help a celebrity make a good first impression in a new career. My group was tasked with creating a presentation for Seth MacFarlane, the multi-talented creator of Family Guy, who was preparing to become a kindergarten teacher.

“Kim – you’ve got to start covering your assets if you want to appear credible in court…”

One of the groups made a presentation targeted at Kim Kardashian, who was preparing to become a trial lawyer. “Kim” is pictured here – as a stuffed moose the group brought in and talked to.

Professor Jackson Miller posing as Gaga for one of the presentations.

Professor Miller helped one of the groups out by posing as Lady Gaga. They were trying to recommend some nonverbal behaviors that would help Gaga run for president of the United States.

“Okay Gaga – there’s one thing you need to work on, and that’s eye contact. We need to be able to see your eyes. So don’t wear sunglasses.”

After a glare from one of the presenters, “Gaga” obeyed.

This class never fails to amuse me (One time, Prof. Miller stripped down to a basketball jersey and shorts to illustrate that physical appearance has an effect on our perceptions of credibility). Even though it doesn’t count toward my major, it’s a fun class that can be applied to the real world.

Well, mostly; I love Gaga, but as president? No, thank you..

Performing “Sorry Sorry” by Super Junior with the Korean Culture Show group

Taiwan Yo-yo performance

All the performers at the International Culture Show 2013

The Malaysians – all decked out in traditional gear!

Op op op op ~ oppa gangnam style..

The International Club puts on a show every year – the culture show that is! This year’s show was truly diverse; we had singers from China, dancers from different countries in Africa, a singer from Kyrgyzstan, guitar players from Nepal, a comedienne from France, musicians from Japan, a yo-yo extraordinaire from Taiwan, actors from Vietnam, and merengue dancers from Mexico.

This year, I took part in two performances – the first for my own country, Malaysia, and the second representing Korean culture. To showcase Malaysian culture, me and three other Malaysian guys on campus created a cooking show about how to make Malaysian curry. We messed up a little on the actual day of filming (you’ll see – here’s the video), but no worries – it still turned out good.

I think I spent more time practicing for our Korean “K-Pop” dance performance, though. It was a lot more intense than I thought it would be. We started off by dancing the intro to “Abracadabra,” and ended with “Gangnam Style,” with several dances in between. We drew a substantial crowd to Ice Auditorium, so I found it difficult to shield myself from the audience during the three costume changes we had in the performance.

After all the performances were over, we put on a fashion show and guests were treated to a reception in Jonasson Hall. As expected, the line for food went on for miles.. Surprisingly, though, there were lots of leftovers by the time I got downstairs. In addition to catering food from local restaurants, the International Club invited students to make and bring their own dishes (I heard two girls from China spent hours making dumplings for the event). My favorites are still apple pie from the Netherlands and chicken curry from Malaysia.

Overall, a very delicious and fun afternoon exploring the world – I can’t wait to see what we’ll be doing next year!

As an intern at the Office of Admissions, I get to read what our students think of the “small college experience” and what they like the most about it. Without a doubt, our professors and the one-on-one attention we get outside of class is almost always mentioned.

In one of my  Mass Communication classes, MSCM 275: Information Gathering, we get twice the amount of attention. I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure if this was a good thing…

You see, my class is led by Dr. Brad Thompson and Susan Whyte, who share the grading and teaching work. It was a bit (okay, highly) unusual to have not one but two professors scrutinizing my work. It was also unusually amusing to see two professors playfully bickering at each other during class. We also send our questions and comments to both professors in e-mails, and we get told off if we forget to include one or the other in an e-mail..

After awhile, though, I got used to it. I even kind of like the extra attention. It helps that both professors want to see students succeed. I had a lot of trouble last week getting an observation done at the local courthouse for my research topic, and both Professor Thompson and Susan were understanding and even offered to take me there themselves if I couldn’t find the transport. Like most professors on campus, they also have an open office policy, where students are encouraged to walk in and talk with them during their office hours. Having grown up in situations where teachers are placed on “pedestals” and are hard to talk to, I have to say that this really is a highlight of our campus. We’re not all just copying one another when we say that our professors are awesome beings; they really are.

For the home-bound, Spring Break is all about catching up with friends and family. For the adventurous, it is about exploring nature’s trails. For the travel junkies, it means days spent on a bus headed down the West Coast. For the good samaritans, it is a time for giving back to the community on an Alternative Spring Break.

And then, there’s me.

I’m not saying I didn’t do anything over Spring Break. I just did more relaxing than anything else (that, and a 33-page assignment that was due this week).

The college lets students stay in their dorms and apartments throughout breaks at no additional charge, but we do have to sign up to let Residence Life know what days we’ll be in. Except for classes and library hours, the college runs as usual during break.

My break started with a day trip to the beach at Lincoln City with my Friendship Family. The Friendship Family program is run by the International Programs Office. Basically, international students are given the option of applying for a Friendship Family at the beginning of the year. This is a local family that agrees to meet with the student occasionally and even plan outings to expose them to American culture. My Friendship Family is so helpful and kind. One time, my host mum drove me to the local hospital because I strained my hip muscle. I was glad she could take me because it was raining that day and I couldn’t have walked there by myself. Besides that, we occasionally meet to have dinner or go grocery shopping on the weekends.

Other than that, I spent my break reading, catching up on TV shows, feeding my friend’s pet fish, and watching winter turn to spring (seriously – it was as if the seasons changed overnight!). One day, it was cold and dreary, and the next it was sunny and warm. All in all, I really enjoyed my spring break, but now that classes are back in session, I can’t wait for the next break!